Green Eyes and Silver Lies
by LilyEverlasting
Summary: On (non-permanent!) Hiatus! Will be REWRITTEN and CURRENT CHAPTERS to be REPLACED/UPDATED UPON CONTINUATION. READ CURRENT VERSION WITH CAUTION. After six years of arguing with that idiot Malfoy, nothing Scorpius did could surprise Albus anymore. At least, that's what he liked to tell himself. Slash, love, sex, potty mouthed teens, drama, and a dash of angst ensue.
1. Chapter 1

_Green Eyes and Silver Lies_

It was at that particular moment in time, that bright, uncharacteristically cold late April morning, that the eleven year old Albus Potter decided he hated Scorpius Malfoy.

At least, that was what he liked to tell himself.

It had begun as simple banter, which quickly turned into heated insults (and a few misled "yo mama" jokes), which consequently resulted in raised wands, beginners curses, a few unsightly painful boils and of course, detention.

Yes, at that particular moment in time, the eleven year old Scorpius declared full out war on his raven haired opponent as they were forced to work together in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Albus remembered with astounding clarity how they had hesitated at the border of the forest, the trees looming overhead like silent phantoms. His green eyes had slid over to Scorpius's soft gray ones. He must have looked stricken, his expression silently asking _truce?_ Scorpius only sneered, jutting his chin haughtily into the air like the arrogant little Malfoy that he was. Albus lost all hope.

"Pussy." Scorpius declared with a triumphant smirk as he took that first step into the wood like it was a victory he could hold over Potter's head. Albus had never, ever been issued a detention, and as a straight A student who rarely found himself in trouble, he was quite shaken up about the whole ordeal.

"I hope you get eaten by a troll." He grumbled, emerald eyes narrowing, grudgingly following Scorpius and stepping into the shadows of the forest. Yet again they had at each other as they walked towards the gamekeeper's cabin.

"You're an idiot, Potter." Scorpius declared, reflecting on how they had come to find themselves in this predicament. If it hadn't been for Potter's stupid joke, Scorpius theorized, this whole situation would have been avoided.

"Whatever. You're a pale blond twit."

"Oooo aren't you just _evil._" Scorpius remarked sarcastically with an exaggerated roll of his dove gray eyes.

"I think that's your Death Eater father." Albus said darkly. Scorpius halted. Hagrid's cabin was in sight, but the boy didn't move. Albus hesitated, fingers itching towards his wand. He had never brought up anything serious in their bickers before. It felt strangely invigorating to hit Malfoy where it hurt. Scorpius turned slowly, eyes flashing.

"Don't talk about my father." He hissed. Albus shrugged, a smirk playing on his pale rose lips.

"Oops. Did I hit a nerve? Is Scorpy gonna cry?"

"Shut _up, _Potter-"

"Poor little Scorp, your daddy loves his cell in Azkaban more than he loves you-" Scorpius's wand was between Albus's eyes so fast he had to admire Malfoy's speed. He narrowed his eyes.

"Go ahead, I dare you." He whispered. Scorpius swallowed, his cheeks dusted with pink, his gray eyes glazed with…wait, were those _tears? _Oh, this was too _good._ Albus shook his wand loose from its hold in his sleeve. He gripped it firmly in his chilled fingers.

"Alrigh', alrigh' that's enough boys!" Hagrid, the half giant gamekeeper, hollered so loudly, the boys practically jumped out of their skins. Scorpius accidentally fired his jinx as he whirled around, and Hagrid ended up with a horribly swollen and painfully red bulbous nose.

Detention. Again.

So six years later, as they found the seventeen year old versions of themselves crammed into McGonagall's office for a little slip up in the hallways between Potions and Transfiguration that had resulted in a very, very angry Professor Slughorn crying over the fact that half of his bushy blond mustache had been singed off, Albus was not altogether surprised. Though McGonagall's beady stare had enough venom in it to cause him to fidget. McGonagall cleared her throat.

"What is _wrong_ with you boys?" She demanded. Scorpius chanced a glance at the raven haired youth sitting opposite him. His lean body was draped across the chair he sat in a carefree manner, one arm hanging loosely across its back. His pale blond hair was slicked back a little, his cool gray eyes studying Albus as if to say _truce for now?_

The slightly shorter (only by an inch!) and stockier boy glared back at him through his black bangs, his hair feathering about and falling past his ears, a little down his nape. Albus's emerald eyes gleamed. _Not on your life._

Albus smirked, and Scorpius looked away, although a secretive smile played on his pale pink lips. Albus brushed the bangs from his eyes and took his green eyes off Scorpius. He was sitting rather straight, legs crossed at the knee in a professional way, hands cupped together in his lap. They said nothing, only glanced at each other, then at the large golden clock on the wall behind McGonagall's head. McGonagall rolled her eyes.

"I'm too old for this. I should have just expelled both of you when I had the chance and have done away with it. Would have saved me the trouble and maybe a few years of my life." She sighed. The boys waited.

"Just get up and go, you'll be late for the match." She muttered, deciding issuing another detention would do nothing for the boys. Grins split their faces, and they stood with a sweep of their crimson Quidditch robes.

"Devils." McGonagall grumbled as the door to her office closed. Albus walked out of the office in triumph, he'd done this before. He met Malfoy's cool gray gaze. Once they were a yard away from the office, they began to snicker behind gloved hands. For a duo so immersed in rivalry, they were in sync , predictable with each other. Yes, after six years of arguing with that idiot Malfoy, the blond had lost the element of surprise when it came to their fights, bickers, and arguments. Nothing Malfoy did could surprise Albus anymore; or so he liked to tell himself.

* * *

><p>The green grass of the Quidditch field contrasted starkly with the gray spring sky, making the green pop. It reminded Scorpius of something, but before he could dwell on it longer than a second, Albus shoved past him as they left the castle, looking back with a challenging grin. He hesitated when Scorpius's gaze lingered for a moment longer. In a flash, the serious clump of seconds between them had vanished. Albus always knew how to ruin a moment, of <em>course.<em>

"Damn, Malfoy, I know I'm hot, but stop ogling me like I have my shirt off. You're freakin' me out." He crowed, laughing at the annoyed look on Scorpius's face. The blond twisted his mouth in distaste.

"Heh, like that skinny chest of yours is anything to ogle." Scorpius shot back, though he smiled a little. He followed Albus at a distance, obviously brooding, but Potter pretended not to notice. It was fine, Scorpius didn't need to talk about it anyway. Not that he wanted _Potter _of all people up in his business.

The boys sprinted across the grounds, and were greeted at the entrance of the Quidditch field by an irritated redhead, tossing a quaffle into the air as she waited. Her lips were pursed, her hazel eyes flashing, her cheeks rosy. She was _pissed. _

_And damn did anger look good on her._ Scorpius thought as he smirked.

"I swear to fucking God, if you two can't keep it together and manage to have detention during the championship, I will strangle you in your sleep. I am _so _sick of you two." She vowed darkly. Albus barked out a laugh.

"Aw, Lil, you know you love me." Albus joked, ruffling her hair as he passed, which only made Lily spitting mad. Her face went from a charming rosy pink to a vicious tomato red.

"Fuck you, Albus, I'm trying to help run the team here. Hard enough keeping everything together without you two airheads screwing it all up!" She cried, running up to join him and smack him upside the head. Scorpius trailed behind, watching the siblings with an interest, eyes lingering on Lily's sashaying hips. Slowly, however, they found their way to Albus's broad shoulders. He frowned.

He and Potter weren't what he would solidly call _friends._ Their first year they had practically been sworn enemies, but after the detention in the Forbidden Forest, they seemed to have reached a middle ground…

As if he had heard Scorpius's thoughts, Albus looked back. Emerald eyes met dove gray. For a moment, life was simple. Then Albus winked, Scorpius sneered back, and the moment was ruined. _Fucking Al._

Sometimes, their banter was playful. Sometimes, they even got along, but ever since their first year, they couldn't seem to stay off each other's backs. Oddly enough, they were never far from each other, even hanging around the same group of friends.

Their second year at Hogwarts, their first detention of the year had been over a fist fight. They had ended up tackling each other over the position for Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Third year, the first detention was over a little duel fueled on by Scorpius's insistence that his spellwork was far more surperior. Fourth year, the first detention of the year had been over some ugly cursing which stemmed from…

Hmm. It had just been a bad morning, he guessed. Fifth year, it had been because they discovered they both had the same girlfriend. A Ravenclaw had been two timing them at the same time. Older, pretty girl like her, damn she had been someone to get angry over (even if she was a bitch). Sixth year, they had mellowed out some, but their rivalry was still there, hot and bothered. Their relationship went in circles, revolving around their rivalry, and their sort-of-friendship. Even if sometimes, Scorpius entertained the thought that he hated Potter's guts.

He abandoned the thoughts as he met with the team, and took his position as Keeper. He watched Albus mount his broom and shoot off into the sky. Watching him fly…well, it made Scorpius forget about his problems. Just for a moment.

* * *

><p>Groaning, Albus collapsed on the large ruby red velvet couch in the common room. The thing was ancient, squeaking in protest when Albus's muscled body landed hard on its soft cushions. The team was drenched from an icy spring rain. Some had had the misfortune of being covered in mud and grass stains…along with accompanying bruises and cuts to match.<p>

They had lost against Ravenclaw. Lily, of course, was spitting curses, her face flushed, going on and _on_ about teamwork (the team's only as strong as its players, so put some effort into it damn it) and how zit-faced Tobias Halloway should be cursed to kingdom-come for the way he handles bludgers. Albus swore she invested too much in Quidditch, but thanks to that there were more than one scout who had taken notice of Lily Potter and were itching for her to graduate. Like mother, like daughter, Albus guessed.

"Asshole looked like a kid on Christmas when he hit Rain in the face!" She sputtered. Rain Greenwell moaned in response, holding an ice pack to her swollen face. Albus winced just looking at her, absentmindedly rubbing his jaw. Eventually, Lily's anger gave way to exhaustion (thank God) and the Common Room quieted. Albus noticed the time on the antique grandfather clock in the corner.

_Dammit. Eight o'clock already. _He mentally cursed, but his blood rushed in anticipation.

Albus quickly showered and changed, only dimly aware that Scorpius was suddenly nowhere to be found. Not that he cared, of course. He pulled on a crimson long sleeve with a golden 'A' at the right top corner, and a pair of black jeans, and snuck out of the Common Room. He was careful to avoid Lily's analytical glare. Apparently, she was still angry with him for landing himself in McGonagall's office. He blew her a kiss goodnight and she flipped him off, returning quietly to her homework.

Oh sisterly love.

* * *

><p>Scorpius stared at the letter in his lap, dread pooling in his stomach like a block of ice. His mother's flowy penmanship covered the creamy stationary. His horned owl, Amadeus, slumbered on his shoulder, hopping from foot to foot occasionally. Scorpius absentmindedly stroked the owl's feathers. He stared at the second sentence of the letter.<p>

_…Your father will be released on Saturday next. He will be home for break, and I urge you to come home with a forgiving and understanding heart. This is our chance to mend our family, and as his son you should find it within yourself to accept your father and forgive him. He loves you so…_

Blah, blah, blah, _Scorpius you better love your father _now. God, his mother was so oblivious. With a grimace, he waded the paper up in his hand, shoving it in his jeans pocket. He was sitting at the base of a winding set of stairs that led to the divination room. He glanced at his wristwatch.

_Eight thirty, damn._ At nine, students were required to be in their Common Rooms. He watched a giggling group of fifth year Hufflepuff girls pass by him. He looked over them. The brunette in the middle was cute, and the blond on the left was sporting a decent rack. The brunette on the right just wasn't pretty. _Ouch. _

The cute brunette glanced at him, whispered to her companions. The three girls erupted in shrill giggles and blushed. Scorpius shot his _I know I'm hot_ crooked grin their way, leaving them red in the face instead of pink. Done with the day, he stood and began to leave.

He walked slowly through the halls, head bowed, not wanting to attract attention to himself. Amadeus hooted softly, nipping at his human's ear in an attempt to brighten him up. It didn't work. He didn't want to see his father. Point blank. Draco could _stay_ in Azkaban and not come home, as far as Scorpius was concerned.

Draco had been sentenced a few months into Scorpius's first year. Some followers of the late Voldemort had reconstructed their little group and somehow had coerced Draco to join. They had been discovered before anything could be done, but the sentences hadn't been light. It had been difficult on his mother, Astoria. His mother had anxiety issues that likely stemmed from Voldemort's time (her family had been tortured), and after Draco was taken away his mother was just a diagnosis short of clinically crazy. It had been embarrassing, infuriating, saddening.

He had to endure the whispers at school, the frightened glances, The occasional Slytherin who tried to talk to him because the same had happened to _their _father, and so on.

Most importantly, it had given Albus even more leverage to insult him. Albus had called Draco a Death Eater, insinuated that his father was evil. Scorpius had never been angrier at Potter in his life than he had been at that point. At that point, Scorpius had truly _loathed_ him, house-mate or not.

Now though-

Scorpius's thoughts were interrupted by a gravelly groan. He paused, the hair on the back of his neck rising, a blush dusting his cheeks. He looked behind him, casting glances all around. He was alone in the large corridor. Yet he knew somewhere in the shadows, a couple was going at it, judging by that groan. There was a soft laugh, a hiss of "be quiet!". Scorpius's blush deepened. Both voices were male. He shoved his hands in his pocket and walked a little faster, but as he walked, he made the mistake of looking around.

In a shadowy corner to his left, someone _very_ familiar was engaged quite intimately with a handsome sixth year Slytherin known as Dante Lovell. Heat raced up Scorpius's body, and his mind screamed at him to turn away, but he was rooted to the spot. Transfixed.

Albus's strong body was pressed tightly against Lovell's, hips rolling against the other boys, hands roaming, mouth expertly at work. Albus began to trail kisses to the other boy's neck, and Lovell's eyes snapped open, his dark blue eyes catching Scorpius's. The brunette winked roguishly, grinning coyly, then nipped at Albus's ear, causing the older boy to groan softly.

Scorpius ran. He ran straight to the Fat Lady, gasping out the password, and stumbling into the Common Room. Lily was still on the big red couch, doing her homework. Damn her, always making sure the Quidditch players came back by curfew. You'd think everyone would just go about their business anyway despite what she said, but Lily was…

Well, she was scary when it came to quidditch. That and popular, which was a winning combination when it came to being listened to, apparently. She was only five foot four and one hundred and two pounds, but she was five feet of mean who would bite your head off and spit it back out when she wanted to be, and she was a damn good captain, which earned her the team's respect. As captain, it was up to her to keep her team in shape, and she never slacked with the responsibility. Her hazel eyes flicked up to Scorpius, then lowered as if in disinterest.

"Did you see Al out there? Curfew's in fifteen minutes." She said distractedly, scribbling on some parchment, curled up on the couch in her pajamas with an open textbook in her lap, her red hair in a sloppy bun. Scorpius swallowed.

_Albus…Albus..._

"Albus won't be too much longer." He found himself saying, his mouth dry. Lily nodded absentmindedly, having already dismissed Scorpius from her train of thought. Normally this would irk him, he would whine playfully and flirt with her, but at the moment he was too enveloped in his own thoughts. She glanced up at him almost expectantly, but he ignored the silent invitation to speak to her and went to the showers. His skin felt tight, as if what he had seen was bubbling to the surface. He was aware he was still flushed.

As if to torture him, his mind replayed the scene over and over. In the shower he shivered, despite the warm spray. He hadn't known Albus swung both ways. _Get over it, it's not that big a deal._ Then why was he so uneasy? He swallowed, rinsing the soap from his body and hopping out-only to collide (dripping wet and naked mind you, as if things couldn't get any worse) head first with Albus, who was looking for an open shower stall, a white towel hung loosely around his waist.

"Dammit, Scorpius!" Albus hollered, covering his forehead with the palm of his hand and rubbing the area. Scorpius mumbled an apology, grabbed a towel and started off, but Albus stopped him.

"Hey…er, everything alright?" He asked, falteringly. Scorpius blinked, shocked. This was definitely a milestone in their odd little relationship. They usually kept out of each other's business unless it involved the other. Albus scratched the back of his head, as if suddenly embarrassed. For one horrifying moment, Scorpius wondered if Dante had mentioned his intrusion to Albus. He swallowed, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Yeah. Why?" Albus shrugged.

"Well, you…you know, you're quiet lately. Which is weird." Potter accused with a frown. Scorpius flushed, but he hid his embarrassment with a jab.

"Aw, if I didn't know any better I'd say you _cared_." He sneered, his voice a mockery of affection. Albus grimaced, not amused.

"Don't be a fucking asshole," Potter muttered. With a shake of his head, he hopped into a shower stall, leaving Scorpius alone in the tiled hall, blinking against the lights, which suddenly seemed too bright. It was then Scorpius realized that for once, he was the one ruining the moment.

* * *

><p><em>Fucking Malfoy.<em> Albus washed his hair vigorously, a little surprised by his anger. Come on, though! There he was, going out on a limb for the guy, crossing boundaries they _never_ cross, only to be shut down. Why bother? Hell, it because he was concerned.

Yeah, _concerned. _Yeah, he cared. So what of it? Scorpius didn't need to be a jerk about it. Ever since their first year, after the rumors about Scorpius's family began to surface, the kid had practically been an outcast. Despite their differences, Albus was the first to approach him without empty kindness, and Scorpius had let him reach out. Before long, they belonged to the same group of friends, although they never personally hung out together. Even though Malfoy could get on his nerves Albus…well, cared. He let out a breathy sigh. He really needed to stop getting his panties in a twist over it. _Whatever._

He was not going to admit to himself that he was upset mostly because it stung a little that Scorpius didn't view him as someone who could give a shit enough to confide in. He was good to argue and goof around with and that was about it, Albus guessed.

Why did it matter, anyway? For the past six years they had been close in proximity, but always far apart when it came to any kind of friendship. It had always been that way. They knew each other, but not well. They talked, but never confided in each other, and Albus could count the serious conversations they had with each other on one hand. It didn't need to change…

Albus ran the bar of soap down his body, frowning when he noticed a purple bruise blooming from underneath his skin on his collar bone. He grinned mischievously. Dante had given him a hickey. Thinking about his evening activities got his blood roaring. His hand roamed a little lower as he imagined the Slytherin.

Dark brown hair with a little wave to it, full lips, dark, gray eyes…

Wait. No. Dante's eyes were _not _gray. Albus opened his eyes, suddenly uncomfortable, his flushed skin suddenly too hot. He thought of Scorpius suddenly, how the blond had looked stumbling so ungracefully out of the shower and smack dab into him. Only a blind fool would say that Scorpius was plain looking. He was anything but, with that lean but defined torso, elegantly handsome long face, straight nose, and brooding heather gray eyes. Albus turned off the water and quickly dried off.

Blue eyes, not gray. Dante's eyes were blue.

Albus sometimes liked to entertain the notion that he was bisexual, but it felt like a lie to think so. He didn't believe he was bisexual. If anything, he was bi-curious. He wasn't particularly sure he believed he could be equally attracted to both sexes instead of preferring one over the other. He figured one of these go-arounds, he would find himself more attracted to one particular sex, and stick with it.

He had to be gay or straight, right? His first encounter with another guy had been in fourth year, with a seventh year Ravenclaw named Nathaniel Bitterbridge. Nate had been a sought after bachelor with the ladies. Tall, slim, olive skinned, mysterious. They had met in the library. Then one night, after wandering around after hours and bumping into Bitterbridge, Albus had gone from cursing the guy from writing him up, to making out with him in the corridor. Needless to say, the demerit never reached its destination. For months, they skulked around in the shadows, the relationship a secret. Albus never told a soul.

Yes, Nathaniel Bitterbridge had been Albus's first everything. Al would even go as far as to say the young man had been his first love. It had been hopeless, however. Nathaniel graduated, started dating a woman, and seemed to forget that Albus ever lived.

Talk about heartbreak.

Albus could easily say it was after Nate that he began to get a little reckless with love. He got back on the dating scene with girls, and often had a new flavor of the week as opposed to a steady relationship. With the guys, it was just as bad.

He felt broken (was it so hard to fall in love again? Was there something wrong with him?), confused, and many times, alone. Often his relationships were composed of sex, a little pillow talk, and more sex. Nothing serious. Nothing real. If they tried to worm their way into his life, his mind, he often didn't allow it.

He thought of Dante and found himself frowning. After breakfast tomorrow, he would be sure to seek the Slytherin out and break it off. It had been going on for almost three weeks now, and that was a bit too long for Albus's taste. Albus did have a girlfriend (at the moment anyway) after all, and he preferred to keep his attraction on the down low .

He knew he was being an asshole by seeing Dante on the side, but in his defense Amelia Hawthorne had only been his girlfriend as of last Monday.

Yeah, still not a good excuse. At least he hadn't slept with her yet, that would make things messier.

Nope, He was still an asshole.

Albus tossed and turned in bed, the sheets whispering over his bare chest. He was clad in his boxers, unable to sleep, mind whirring with thoughts. Outside, the moon was fat and full, casting pale silver light through the tower window. It was just enough light to make out the sleeping faces of his dorm mates. Albus's eyes drifted to the last bed on the right, on the opposite side of the dorm.

The bed's occupant turned once, twice, then stilled. Albus wondered if Scorpius was awake. Malfoy almost never tossed and turned (not that he watched him sleep like some pervy creep). He forced himself to look away and stare out the window.

He wished he didn't care about Scorpius. At all. But the feeling was hard to kick. It had been hard to kick ever since first year, ever since (after calling Scorpius's dad evil and a Death Eater right to the kid's face) he had reached out to Malfoy, inviting him to hang out with group, pairing up with him in class when no one else would. It was his way of apologizing. Scorpius, while he did indeed needle the hell out of him, was never cruel to him. Over time, their classmates came around and Scorpius ended up becoming quite popular as the years passed. He was, after all, sweet and charming. Always, Albus watched from a distance. Close, but far away. Sometimes he liked it that way, because when he saw happiness, true happiness, on Malfoy's face, it was his moment alone to relish, and Malfoy never had to know.

Never had to know that Albus played the game he did so the game _wouldn't_ stop.

The door to the boy's dorm creaked open with a sigh, and Albus looked over at it. He rose from bed, not eager or excited. He threw on a robe and slipped silently from the dorm, closing the door behind him with a soft click. In the hall, Amelia was waiting, the picture of loveliness. Her curly hair falling about her shoulders in a tousled, sexy way, her dark eyes gleaming in the dark. She flashed him a pearly grin, grabbing his wrist.

"Come on." She whispered, giggling as she led him away. Albus smiled at her, rubbing his thumb between Amelia's thumb and forefinger. Amelia would carry him away, and Scorpius would be far, far away from his thoughts.

Or so he liked to tell himself.

* * *

><p>AN: I posted this on a whim, it's just something random I wrote, so reviews I receive will decide on this piece's future. I write other things when stuck on fics, and this is what came out when taking a break from writing my Naruto fic. Sooo...any thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

_It takes a second to make a mistake, but a lifetime to forget that it was your fault_

_Remember what you did it for, Draco. _A shadow eclipsed the prison cell, and he dare not raise his dead gray eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, lips moving to his personal mantra, but he could still feel it. He could still feel the dread, the icy chill that numbed him to the core. His chest heaved, his breath searing in his lungs as he tried to control his breathing as he wheezed. He was panicking. Black, raw, primal fear was clawing at his chest, trying to rip free where his heart should be. His body seized up in fright. He was shivering violently, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Remember, remember!" He gasped out, but he didn't dare open his eyes. He knew it was before him, watching with milky eyes that even in death, gleamed in malicious amusement. It enjoyed his torture, his pain, his _fear._ He knew its chapped, sore-ridden mouth in its rotted face would be teasing him delightedly, forming a perfect 'o' as it hovered nearby. _Kiss me._ Draco clapped his hands over his ears, breaking out in a cold sweat. He opened his eyes, and screamed.

"Remember what you did it for! Remember what you did it for! REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID IT FOR!" The dementor watched from beyond the iron bars, skeletal hands reaching out and gripping the iron, an apparition from a nightmare whose tattered cloak rippled like a mirage. Draco uttered an almost inhuman wail of terror. It had never moved so close before, practically pushing its head through the bars, its mouth opening and closing as it relished the taste of his pain. _Delicious. _

He was screaming in pure unadulterated fear, mantra forgotten, as the dementor attempted to slip past the bars, unable to help itself. _Delicious. _Suddenly, the dementor pulled away with a hiss and darted away from the cell. Draco's mouth remained open, tears pouring down his sunken pale cheeks. He knew no shame, he cried freely like a lost boy wailing for his mother. Six years in Azkaban did that to a man.

A shimmering blue wolfhound padded up to the cell. A large grizzly of a man followed, clad in brown robes and a large belt, which jingled with each step as the keys on his belt were disturbed by the motions. He frowned at Draco, and sneered when he noticed the man was sobbing quietly in a corner, hands clapped over his ears, repeating his mantra to himself over and over.

"Poor bastard." The man muttered as he turned a key into the cell's padlock. The iron door opened with a rusty sigh.

"Come on, then." The gaoler growled, annoyed that Draco still hadn't realized he was being released. He was still in his corner, muttering and crying. The gaoler had dealt with enough men reduced to pitiful puddles of tears, and he wasn't merciful. As far as he was concerned, the bastards had put themselves in jail, it wasn't his duty to feel any empathy for the sorry saps as the dementors worked their foul magic. He marched forward and dragged Draco to his feet forcefully. The blond man struggled and yelled in fright, trying to claw at the gaoler's face, spittle bubbling on his dried, cracking lips.

"Remember, remember,r- remember-" _Slap. _ The sound of flesh on flesh echoed eerily throughout the cell, and Draco's head whipped to the side. He quieted, blinking luminous eyes, sunken into his once handsome face.

"Shaddup." The gaoler snapped. "Fucking crazy lunatic." He fixed muddy brown eyes on Draco, scowling in disgust. He shook his large bald head, thick black eyebrows furrowing like caterpillars inching across his brow. He grabbed Draco Malfoy by the am and led him out of the cell, down the dim hallway.

Draco shook, watching as men in their cages pressed emaciated and dirty faces to the iron bars of their confinements. Some watched sadly, others sneered at him, one spat at him in fury, a disgusting glob landing on the toes his bare right foot. He whimpered and scrapped his foot against stone in an effort to get the slime off his skin. The hallway seemed to last an eternity. Finally they approached two very large wooden doors, studded with iron. The gaoler whipped out another key, and a door creaked open, like an arthritic joint protesting against any further use.

Draco blinked against the natural light. The door closed behind him, and he found himself in another large hallway, fit with large windows that lined either side of the creamy hall. It was daylight. The sunlight drifted in through the heavy crystal glass, illuminating everything in a holy light. The marble floors felt warm and slick under Draco's feet. He had forgotten was it was like to see something white and clean. The gaoler led him down the hall, towards another large pair of doors. He took out his wand and muttered something. The doors swung open, revealing a large, gleaming place with a dome roof. They passed wizards and witches waiting in line by a large, gleaming desk at the center. No doubt asking about a prisoner. Perhaps even requesting a visit. There was a small room to the left behind the desk, and Draco knew the room was where prisoners with visitors were shepherded. There was a small, narrow little underground hallway that led to it from the main prison.

He blinked. He was….He was _outside_ the prison. He gulped down air, which wasn't heavy and moldy. It didn't sting with the sharp scent of urine or the sickly sweet smell of decay. The building he was in now _wasn't_ the prison. He let an odd little laugh escape. A few witches and wizards looked at him. One wrinkled her nose as he passed. The gaoler led him away, into a room on the other side of the building. It was plain, sparse save for a table and a couple chairs. There was a door leading into a bathroom inside it, complete with a shower. The clothes he had worn when he was admitted to Azkaban were neatly folded, placed on the porcelain of the sink counter, ready to wear.

He washed , savoring the warm water. In the prison, there were only a few shower stalls. You had to wait your turn when it was your day to shower, and you were given a shower card for the day. For good behavior, prisoners could reap the rewards of a free shower card for an extra wash. Some hoarded them and sold them to their inmates or used them to their pleasure. Along with visiting cards, and free meal cards. The cards were presented to the gaoler at the stall, and the prisoner was allowed inside. Draco was never there early enough to catch the warm water. After a few weeks, he had stopped trying to grab a good spot in line and just accepted the cold, hard water spray.

This though, _this_ was amazing. Water that wasn't hard from minerals and sea salt. It felt silky on his skin. It was warm, so warm the room misted. He had a whole bar of soap to himself, as well as bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Usually, the showers in Azkaban were stocked with bars of soap, but other luxuries were to be purchased, and the inmate was in charge of his own possessions. Only a fool left any bottles of his own shower gel, shampoo or conditioner in the cubbies by the stalls. They were easily and often stolen.

Draco couldn't remember the last time he used shampoo. He stopped buying it after the tenth time he was stolen from. He merely scrubbed his whole body and mussed his hair with the hard lumpy oatmeal soap offered by the prison.

He hopped out of the shower, and dressed slowly. Black slacks, silver dress shirt, sophisticated black blazer over that, and finally, his cloak, fastened to his blazer with a silver serpent pin and lined underneath with a silky silver material. His clothes no longer clung to him, but hung pitifully off his thin body. Afterward, he stared at himself in the mirror. A long, gaunt face greeted him. Gray eyes large and pale. He licked his damaged lips. His blond hair had grown long over the years, cascading down his shoulders. He ran nervous fingers through it, wincing at the tangles he caught.

When he finally stepped out into the small room, a short wizard with large bifocals was waiting for him at the table. He offered a thin smile that quavered, the light reflecting off the bald spot on his head.

"Have a seat, Mr. Malfoy." The wizard said in a soft voice, gesturing towards the chair across from him. Draco sat.

"It is my understanding you're being released today. Before you are allowed to meet with your wife, we here at Azkaban just want to ensure you're prepared for life outside of the prison. The dementor's influence can…permanently scar a person." He said carefully, studying Draco's face as he spoke. The blond wizard quaked at the mention of it.

_Remember what you did it for, Draco._ His mind whispered. He wet his chapped lips. Nodded once. After an hour of pscyho-analysis, the wizard deemed Draco Malfoy fit. As in, fit enough to not have to be institutionalized before his release into the outside world. He was escorted by the short wizard out into the busy building once more. Waiting on a bench by the large gleaming desk at the center was a slight woman, garbed in a cornflower blue dress and silver cloak. She looked up slowly, with ice blue eyes. She was thinner, Draco noticed. Her hair no longer shone in glossy golden waves. It plunged down her back, limp and dull, streaks of gray racing down its length. The only color in her face were the freckles that splashed across her nose, spilling over onto her cheeks.

_They were walking down Diagon Alley, her small hand in the nook of his offered arm. He chanced a peek at her, and felt his heart race. Gods, she was lovely. Her eyes shone with love and life, and he had to admit, he couldn't resist the freckles. He spoke before he thought._

_"I love you." He whispered, just loud enough to hear. Astoria stopped walking. She stared at him. She looked away, blushing deeply._

_"Really?" She whispered. With a delicate finger, he lifted her chin so that she met his eyes. Slowly, he leaned forward._

_"Yes." He breathed. She shivered. He kissed her forehead. Her nose. Her kissed her cheeks, and the freckles she was self-conscious about. Finally he found his way to her mouth._

His heart clenched painfully in his chest. She was a shell of the woman he had married. She shouldn't be gracing him with her presence, shouldn't be forgiving him with her eyes. Not when she was nothing more than a ghost. She rose a little shakily, blinking rapidly. She came to him in silence, touching his face. Her hands were cold, and he shivered. Where was her warmth? Her smile? He had done this to her, and he grimaced against the wave of self-loathing that nearly choked him.

_Remember what you did it for, Draco. _He wrapped his arms around her, numb.

"Astoria." He whispered, pained. She wailed then, gripping him tightly. He stroked her hair soothingly. They took the Floo Network home. In his own home again, he paused, jarred to the bone. It was if he had never left. He was standing in the dining room. He looked up at the crystal chandelier, looked at the dark, gleaming table and chairs, the hardwood floor. The white, creamy walls decorated with magicked metal flowers on vines and peacocks along the molding, a painting of himself, Astoria, and Scorpius the only picture decorating the dining room. Beyond him was the sitting room, the wine red walls, the silky, cream draperies, plush carpets and leather couches. He noticed the black and white pictures staggered along the wall, depicting different points of Scorpius's life. He swallowed.

"When will Scorpius be home?" He asked. Astoria was oddly inspecting the dining table for dust and running her finger along it, as if ensuring everything was perfect for Draco's arrival. She fiddled with her cloak.

"In two weeks." She whispered. Draco nodded once. He thought of his son.

_Remember what you did it for, Draco._ He shuddered. Scorpius…his son…his only child.

He looked into the pale eyes of the portrait before him. Scorpius was three years old, staring straight ahead as the wind gently buffeted his mop of fine blond hair about his cherubic face. The face before him, at three years old, was so forgiving, the eyes trusting. Draco reached out, touching the boy in the portrait. He thought of his son's eyes the last time he saw him, how they had sparked like flint, how Scorpius had looked away. Draco swallowed the hard lump in his throat.

Scorpius was never going to forgive him.

* * *

><p>I'll sit and laugh with my friends at what we've all been through, but I still catch my breath when someone mentions you<p>

_It hurt. It hurt to walk into a classroom. It hurt to see his classmates openly discussing him, ogling him like he was some real piece of work. He gripped his potions book until his knuckles were white, keeping his head down as he took his seat. The whispering rose in a crescendo. _

_"Did you hear about his mother…?" He heard Lila St. Claire whisper. It was on purpose. She was whispering just loud enough to be heard _on purpose_. Scorpius gritted his teeth. Part of him wanted to throw his book at her ugly fat head. Part of him wanted to turn around, and say he was sorry for embarrassing her the other day (he had teased her during class about liking Albus Potter). Maybe if he apologized she would stop whispering._

_"My mom's a nurse, and she says Astoria Malfoy-" Scorpius couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his book down on the table, and swiveled around his chair, gray eyes flashing like lightning. The girl blinked in surprise, jumping slightly in her seat._

_"Shut up, Lila. Shut _up_ before I make you." He hissed, so angry he was shaking. The girl blinked, her mouth open, her chubby cheeks growing rosy, as if she hadn't expected Scorpius to last out at her. Her small brown eyes narrowed, practically bloated with confidence and a smug sense of victory. Scorpius turned around, and Lila resumed her whispering._

_He _hated_ being in Gryffindor. Why wasn't he a Slytherin, like his father had been? Or a Hufflepuff, like his mother had been? Hufflepuff seemed nice enough…he bet the Hufflepuff girls wouldn't try to hurt him by making fun of his mother's mental instability in class. _

_The only Gryffindor known in his family was his mother's grandfather. When Scorpius had been sorted, Draco was so stunned his congratulatory letter to his son had been very flat and brief, nothing but a few scribbled lines. 'Congratulations on your sorting, son. Do your homework and behave. See you at break'. _

_ A Malfoy in House Gryffindor meant stares, whispers, and lots of them. It was even worse, ever since his father had been sent to Azkaban. _

_It hurt to not be accepted._

"_Alright class, I want you to split into pairs." Old Professor Slughorn announced. Scorpius inwardly groaned, gripping his book in his lap, still not daring to look around him. He could hear chairs squeak as his classmates rose, babble as the children picked amongst themselves._

_No one approached Scorpius. The minutes that passed felt like an eternity. An eternity that consisted of him being pointedly ignored. Hot, angry tears stung the corner of his eyes unexpectedly. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry or get upset. He didn't care anyway! He didn't need friends. His classmates were stupid, stuck up-_

_"Hey." A voice sliced through his thoughts. Scorpius blinked, shocked. Standing in front of him was none other than Albus Potter. And of course, who could forget the Potters. Being in Gryffindor also meant having to compete with the genetically-geared-towards-greatness spawn of Harry Potter. Without waiting for a response, he sat next to Scorpius, opening his textbook. Scorpius recoiled. The children stared, a collective hush falling over the group._

_"What are you doing? Go away." He hissed, angry and embarrassed. Thanks to Potter, the class was looking at him again. Albus eyed him with those ridiculously green eyes of his._

_"I don't see anyone else jumping at the chance to be your partner." The boy shot at him, clearly annoyed. Scorpius felt the anger in him rising. Why would he want to be partners with Potter of all people? Especially after what the little prick said to him. He opened his mouth to retort, but Potter cut him off._

_"Look, just let me do this, okay?" The boy's voice was quiet, almost soft, his eyes glued to the pages of his open textbook as if he were embarrassed by his words . Scorpius was taken off guard, and with some difficulty, he swallowed the caustic remark he had prepared._

_"If this is your way of saying you're sorry, you're the one doing all the work." He grumbled. He wasn't going to admit, even to himself, that he was relieved and grateful. Albus only grinned, honey-slow._

Scorpius noticed Albus leave the boy's dormitory, slipping past the door like a shadow. He heard a girl's soft giggle, then silence. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. He didn't know Albus all that well, but Scorpius did know one thing: Potter had a heart, even if it didn't seem like it.

The next morning, Scorpius watched Albus and Amelia's sickening display of affection at the breakfast table. He didn't know why the sight irritated him so much, but it sure as hell did. Amelia laughed, perched on Albus's lap and basking in his attention like a cat takes to sunshine, as the boy fed her a mouthful of egg.

Gag. Get a room.

Maybe his bitterness was due to the fact that he was currently single. He hadn't had a girlfriend since the summer, when he'd broken up with his girlfriend of only one month, Heidi Golding. Not that he missed it. It had been a dreadfully dull relationship, and Heidi hadn't been too exciting in or out of bed.

There were plenty of interested girls, sure, but Scorpius was the one who lacked interest. There was just…too much to deal with right now. His mother needed him, his studies demanded his attention, and a girl was known to only complicate things.

Or maybe it bothered him simply because he had seen Albus with someone different not even a full day ago. Commitment issues, much? Scorpius felt a prickle on his skin, that eerie sense that he was being watched. He looked up…

Just at the exact moment that Albus looked away. Scorpius frowned, irritated, his gut clenching. He fidgeted, he tried to concentrate on something else. He picked at the grapes on his plate, rolling them around with the tines of his fork, but his stomach flopped uncomfortably. He looked back up. Albus caught his eyes again. He smiled, and Scorpius's mouth did this weird thing where it twitched at the corners, as if it had a mind of its own and was actually thinking of returning the gesture, but the smile faltered when Scorpius sneered at him and looked away. He could still feel Albus's eyes on him. Irrationally irritated at this point, he stood up, pointedly ignoring Albus and leaving the table.

_Damn, damn, damn._ Albus _had_ to know about what he'd seen last night! Why else was he looking at him? That had to be it. Albus was going to confront him and ask him to keep his mouth shut. Just thinking about it made Scorpius squirm and his whole body want to blush out of pure embarrassment and irritation. Well, if Potter didn't want to be seen he should be more discreet. The idiot. Whatever. Scorpius could keep a secret, it wasn't like he was going to run around and wag his tongue.

As Scorpius predicted, Albus came up behind him during the walk towards Charms class. He didn't look at Potter, just kept walking, his bag slung over his shoulder, his left hand stuffed in the pocket of his black slacks. For a long moment, they walked side by side in silence.

"What?" Scorpius snapped finally. Albus glanced at him, smirking and shaking his head a little.

"Just wanted to say-"

"Look," Scorpius interrupted, suddenly irritated (time to just get this over with! Just treat it like a band-aid and rip it off quick!) "I won't tell anyone what I saw. It's not a big deal, secret's safe with me." He could feel the heat snake up his neck as he said it. _How embarrassing._ When Albus didn't answer, Scorpius looked over at him. Albus was staring at him, brows furrowed, clearly confused. Scorpius's flush faded, and he blanched a little. _Way to go, Scor._

_Shit._ He suddenly wished he hadn't shoved his foot in his mouth. He swallowed. _Just don't say anything. The idiot might just decide to keep his mouth shut and nod. _But, damn it all, Potter decided to talk. He clapped a hand on Scorpius's shoulder, and leaned in a little.

"What did you see?" His voice was a low. Scorpius wished Albus would take his hand off of his shoulder, and stop acting like they were buddy-buddy or something. He shook Potter off with a glare.

"Forget about it. Like I said, it's no big deal-"

"Did you see me with Dante?" Albus cut in quietly. _Bingo._ Flustered, Scorpius only grimaced, eyes glued to the floor, quickening his pace. Unfortunately, Potter didn't take the hint and kept pace. He hadn't spoken for a long moment. Scorpius risked a glance.

Albus was looking at him, as if trying to figure him out, a smirk suddenly curling his lips. Not good. That smirk was _never_ good. Scorpius wanted to slap that smirk off Potter's annoyingly good looking face. Scorpius wished Albus had been born ugly, then at least looking at him could be as irritating as speaking to him. Unfortunately, Scorpius had no such luck. Shouldn't Albus be, well, upset? Disturbed that he had been caught? What the hell?

"You little perv. You were peekin'." Albus finally guffawed, just to piss Scorpius off. Scorpius's mouth opened then closed, and he spluttered in indignation. Unfortunately for him, he fell right in to Al's little trap and was instantly aggravated. _Nice one, Scorpius. Now it looks like you were watching._ God, he didn't know if this situation could get anymore awkward. He let out an exasperated growl.

"Peeking? More like my eyes were _assaulted against their will!"_ He felt even dumber when his voice rose a little in pitch. A couple third years looked at him curiously and he cursed under his breath, hating that he was being ogled. Albus only laughed louder. Scorpius wanted to hit him. Albus paused before they could reach the classroom, and turned to face Scorpius, a little serious now.

"Don't say anything to Amelia." He said quietly, green eyes glittering. Those damned green eyes. _Green as…_ Scorpius cut the thought and rolled his eyes, having expected this.

"Don't worry, I won't hang your cheating ass to dry." He grumbled, but conceded with a curt nod. Albus's eyes flashed, and the expression on his face froze as if the words had stung, but it only lasted a second. Scorpius blinked, wondering if he had actually gotten underneath the asshole's skin this time. He waited, but Albus didn't react the way Scorpius expected him to.

"See ya around." Albus's voice had an edge to it. Scorpius nodded.

"Hope not." The jab didn't have the desired effect. Albus only grimaced and walked away. No confrontation followed. Scorpius felt oddly deprived.

* * *

><p>The anger that was curling in Albus's gut was beginning to make him feel sick. He sat in his chair with a plop, silently seething. <em>Stupid Malfoy, he doesn't know anything. Who is he to judge?<em> More importantly, why did it matter what Scorpius thought of him anyway? It wasn't like his opinion mattered…

Out of the corner of his eye he watched the lean figure of the blond take a seat near the back, his features set in a poker face. A stupidly handsome poker face. Albus wanted to hit him just for being good looking.

He sighed. The anger he felt was directed at himself, not Scorpius, and he knew it. Trying to place the blame of his own self-loathing upon Malfoy wouldn't make things any better and it wasn't going to make Albus look any better no matter how many different angles he tried to look at himself from. A part of him was angry and ashamed that Scorpius had seen. Scorpius must see him as a careless two-timing ass, and who wants to hang around that? Not that they really hung out anyway.

What was wrong with him lately?

In an attempt to distract himself (there was still five minutes before class was scheduled to begin, and the Professor had not yet arrived) he flipped open a blue parchment pad. In fact, almost every student took out a similar looking notebook in different colors. The little logo on the left corner indicated it had been purchased from his uncle's shop.

Insta-notes weren't a hit with the students for nothing. It was the muggle equivalent of texting under an academic guise. It was the perfect, sneaky way to send and receive notes from classmates during class without (hopefully) being found out.

Ta-da. Instant Notes. Also known as the perfect way to lower your grades during class.

The teachers were going to _love_ confiscating these once they realized what the parchment pads were.

As soon as he opened his notebook, ink began to appear on the top of a blank page in scrawling penmanship.

_Tonight. 7. Be there. Don't make me come and find you myself. ;)_

_-D._

Not a second later, another block of words formed beneath it in cutesy bubble letters:

_ I have a surprise for you tonight 3_

_-Ami_

Albus inwardly groaned. If it was the kind of surprise he bet it was, it was going to have to wait until the hickey faded. He had been avoiding any activities that included the removal of clothes when Amelia was around.

Instant notes. God bless them.

Not. Why had he opened the damn thing instead of taking out his normal one and just doodling on it? Curse Uncle George's genius. He didn't want to think about Dante at the moment, let alone write him. He had meant to break it off with Dante this morning but Amelia hadn't given him much of an opening, and a breakup demanded some privacy. Swallowing, he took his quill and scribbled a quick note, entitling it 'Dante Lovell'.

_Can't. Sorry, man. It's gotta end._

_-Al_

Once Dante saw that he had been referred to as "man" like some platonic male acquaintance or friend instead of _baby_, he should get the hint. So Albus hoped. It was subtle, a hint only apparent to an analytical lover that there was no arguing the matter. Subtle, not harsh, that was the ticket.

The words sank into the page, disappearing and leaving the parchment fresh as snow. His heart beat a little faster in anticipation of how (or if) Dante would reply. Breaking up through a note was not that cool, he had to admit. It was, in his mind, a rather cowardly way to break it off with someone, but since the opportunity presented itself he took the chance and leaped. It probably wouldn't be wise to meet with the guy alone, anyway. Just because Albus didn't want to see Dante anymore didn't mean he no longer found Dante attractive or that he wouldn't take advantage of a situation presented to him.

Oh yeah, he was _totally_ an asshole. He grimaced. Was he really that bad of a person? Did knowing his own weaknesses and knowing that he'd react on it despite Amelia make him a bad person? But that was why he was breaking up with Dante. _Yeah, only a week later. _Or maybe his actions were just the backlash of believing he wasn't with someone he would fall in love with anyway. It was hard to feel possessive, close to someone, when you believed you didn't have the capability to feel that way. He thought briefly of Nathaniel and closed his eyes. Broad shoulders. Olive skin. Dark, dark eyes, straight nose.

_Nope. He has _nothing_ to do with how I am now. No way. That was three years ago. _

The professor strode into class, not a moment later, her arms laded with notebooks and textbooks. She blinked large, luminous eyes and dumped her pile on the desk, fishing around for this particular class's textbook. She cleared her throat, finally fishing it out, and thumbed through it.

"Page three hundred and thirty six!" She trilled, and the class dutifully flipped through their books. Albus was thumbing through his when Dante responded.

_That girl of yours can't give you what I can. Stop wasting your time with women. Tonight at 7. I'm giving you the chance to change your mind. You know you want me. _

_I want you too. _

_-D_

Albus swallowed, deciding not to respond. He kept his mind focused on the lesson, and that helped to clear his head somewhat. When the chime of the school bells sounded, it almost came as a surprise. Lost in his own musings, he packed up his things, made small talk with some of the guys, and headed out. He noticed Scorpius stalled. He caught the blond's eye briefly and was the first to break eye contact, quickly leaving with the group.

He was laughing with some of his fellow teammates from the Quidditch team and his cousin Hugo when Scorpius swept past the group. Brian Gray, one of Albus's companions called out to the blond.

"Hey Scor, don't be so cold, you've practically become a stranger!" Gray called out with a snicker. Scorpius ignored him. Hugo frowned, soft brown eyes narrowed, and ran a hand through his shaggy mop of brown hair, mussing it up a little more. He stood three inches taller than Albus at six foot two. A tall, lanky, and skinny teen that had very much inherited his father's looks. All that was keeping him from being a carbon copy of Ron Weasley was the lack of freckles, red hair, and blue eyes.

"Wonder what's eating him." He drawled. Albus silently agreed. Scorpius was…_quiet _lately.

"Yeah." Albus murmured, thinking aloud. Brian shrugged.

"More like _who_. Bet some girl's mellowed him out some, that or giving him trouble. Gotta be why he's so quiet and not hanging out around the team lately." He suggested with a coy grin. Albus laughed along with them, but it was a hollow sound. He laughed more at himself.

So what if Scorpius had a girl? What did he care? Albus sighed, realizing he'd missed something when the noticed three pairs of eyes staring at him. He blinked.

"What?" They shrugged, but Hugo looked thoughtful.

* * *

><p>Scorpius hurried to the library, not wanting to be bothered, talked to, or noticed. An owl from his mother had arrived. His father had been released. He wasn't feeling very chatty. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally stepped through the door, the smell of musty books invading his nose. Finally, a little peace. He started to settle down at a table, intent on tackling a paper that was due for Potions next week, when he heard soft voices. It wasn't anything unusual, but he turned his head towards the sound, and his eyebrows rose.<p>

There, standing before the plump middle-aged librarian who looked like she must have had a goblin relative or two down the line, was a familiar figure. Tall, tanned, dark haired, fairly handsome. The librarian laughed a little at something he said, craning her neck in order to keep eye contact. The man looked up suddenly, and locked dark hooded eyes with Scorpius, who looked away.

Then it hit him. The young man in the library was Nathaniel Bitterbridge. Scorpius only knew him because he remembered how Nate and Albus had been tight once, back in fourth year. He wondered what he was doing here in the school. He'd graduated three years ago, after all. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nathaniel approaching.

Frowning, he turned towards Bitterbridge, twisting in his seat, curious but nevertheless annoyed at the approach. Was his irritation and desire to be alone not already present in his grimace and overall aura? His body language practically screamed "stay the fuck away before I hurt you". Yet Nathaniel seemed lost to this, or he simply didn't care. The young man looked down on Scorpius a little uncertainly, his hooded eyes brooding. Finally, he spoke.

"I remember you. You're the little shit that gave Al some trouble back when." Scorpius harrumphed.

"I'm sure you have that backwards." He retorted. Nathaniel laughed lightly.

"I'm studying to be a teacher." He said randomly.

"Good for you." Scorpius drawled. _Why was Bitterbridge speaking to him?_ Nate fidgeted slightly.

"You still speak to Al?" He asked, a little falteringly.

"Not really." Scorpius answered, partly because he wanted to be left alone, and partly because the fact that Nate was inquiring after Albus irked him. Nate looked thoughtful.

"Oh. So, you don't know where-?" He stared to inquire, but Scorpius turned in his chair to look at him, eyes flashing, mouth pursed.

"You want to be a teacher, right?" He asked. Nate blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. He nodded.

"It would be quite the scandal to have a relationship with a student." Scorpius said with a glare as he packed his bag. This was irritating as hell. Everything was currently irritating as hell to Scorpius, but Bitterbridge took the cake for some reason. He slung his bag over his shoulder and came nose to nose with Nathaniel, whose eyes had narrowed suspiciously.

"What-?"

"So, if I were you, I'd back off." Scorpius said lowly. Nathaniel's lip curled, but he said nothing.

"What the hell's your problem?" Nate growled. Scorpius looked him over.

"Just back the fuck off, Bitterbridge." Scorpius said finally. He turned, leaving Nate to mull this over, feeling both satisfied and angry. _Fucking Potter owes me._ He thought with a scowl. He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before. Maybe he'd just been too wrapped up in _not noticing_ to care. Now that he'd seen Albus with Dante, however, what happened in fourth year made a hell of a lot more sense. Oh yes, Potter owed him, _big time._

_Scorpius swatted at his face sleepily, groaning, and wishing sunlight could be swatted away like a pesky fly. It was seven o'clock on a Saturday morning. He had been hoping for a good sleep-in. Noon had sounded like an excellent time to get up. Yet, here he was, blinking up the ceiling, at seven in the morning. Grumbling, he yawned, stretched, and grabbed a towel and his toothbrush, heading for the showers._

_When he entered, only one other person was present, as he could hear a shower running. He stepped into the stall across from it. He took his time, and fifteen minutes later, stepped out. The other shower was still running. Steam was slowly pouring out of the stall, misting the bathroom. As he walked to the sink to brush his teeth, he heard the softest of sobs, almost hidden behind the sound of running water. He dismissed it. Wasn't his business. Two minutes later, after brushing his teeth and giving his hair a quick run-through, the shower had stopped running, and a weary, red-eyed Albus Potter emerged, his t-shirt and boxers sticking to still slightly wet skin. Scorpius stared through the mirror. Albus caught his gaze, glaring venomously. Scorpius frowned. It was probably best not to mention anything, pretend he didn't notice, but Scorpius wasn't that kind of person, especially when it came to Albus Potter. Besides, he had to admit he was beyond curious._

_"Never thought I'd see you reduced to a puddle of tears. I'm sorry I can't take the credit." He sneered. Albus bristled._

_"Shut up, Malfoy." He grumbled, clearly not in the mood. He stalked past the blond, with all the intensity of a cornered panther._

_"What happened to you? Break up?" Albus paused at this. Scorpius smirked. He was still a little angry with Albus for the stinkbombs under his bed the other day. It was payback time. Of course, Scorpius didn't realize how thin the ice he was treading on was. He assumed he'd heckle the boy, Albus would cuss him out for all he was worth, and that would be the end of it._

_"Aw, someone finally broke that irritating little heart of yours. How tragic." He said, dripping with sarcasm. Before he knew what had happened, Albus had fired a jinx, Scorpius dodged just in time, and a section of the bathroom mirror fell away from the force of it. Scorpius scrambled away, shocked._

_"The fuck's wrong with you, Potter?" He yelled, running over and grabbing the other boy by the collar, but before Albus could retort, a prefect came running inside, bewildered._

_"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" He shrieked, having seen his fair share of their fights since he came into the position last school year. Needless to say, it resulted in another detention. A rather long series of detentions in fact, and they had to split the cost to replace the mirror in the bathroom. _

_They didn't speak or acknowledge each other for an entire week. They went to detention, got the work done (sealing and stamping any mail McGonagall had to send out. Sweeping and cleaning the classrooms) and didn't look at each other._

_"You two will be the death of me, mark my words. I suppose I've had a long enough life." McGonagall would mutter in that raspy voice of hers. However, even she would watch them with narrowed eyes as they were distant with each other. So the night one detention ended, and Albus fled the scene before Scorpius could pack up, he was surprised to hear McGonagall call him to her desk. He approached, warily._

_"You and Potter are housemates." She began, scribbling away and only glancing up at him once. "As housemates _and_ teammates, I expect you two to get along at least enough to cooperate. I would suggest you find a way to do that, even if it means swallowing your pride and apologizing." He stared at her incredulously._

_"A-apologize!" He sputtered indignantly. "But he-"_

_"I'm sure you're both at fault," She said shortly, cutting him off. "But I'm sure nothing is going to happen unless one of you steps of his high horse. I'm sure that will _never_ happen unless it's seen to." Scorpius watched her sign her name in her flowing scrawl._

_"But, but Professor-"_

_"I have nothing else to say. Be gone with you, Malfoy." She dismissed him as if he were a pesky fly. He swallowed, and left, grumbling. Why should he apologize? Well, he _had_ started this particular fight. But Potter had started the whole fucking thing! Right? Potter had been the one to call him "_Malfoy" _with that haughty sneer, along his arrogant brother of his, James, and pick on Scorpius on the train, so the young Malfoy had picked back, naturally. At the sorting, Albus tripped him on his way up to the hat. When he was sorted in Gryffindor, no one was as surprised as Albus Potter. When Albus was also sorted into Gryffindor and came to sit down, Scorpius put a bowl of pudding on the bench, which Albus distractedly sat on as he shook hands and accepted congratulations that Scorpius hadn't received. No, he'd been merely gawked at as he came to sit at the table. As if he wasn't uncomfortable already._

_Scorpius sighed, trudging down the hall. It was evening by now. He stopped short when ahead of him, he noticed Albus sitting at the edge of the stairs that led to the Fat Lady. He was resting his head against the banister, looking miserable, green eyes dark and angry. Scorpius swallowed his insult, and sighed, walking over. Albus pretended not to notice._

_"Look," Scorpius began, falteringly. Albus flicked angry green eyes upon him, and Scorpius swallowed. "I…I'm sorry. I mean, I'm sure it was tragic, but not in a good way." He babbled, suddenly hating himself for how rushed his words were and how stupid they sounded. Albus looked at him strangely for a moment. Then he shook his head, smiling a little._

_"Whatever." He stood to go, but stopped short when Scorpius spoke again._

_"Hey, Potter, maybe…maybe just for the rest of the term, we can be…you know, okay with each other." Albus paused, shrugged. There were, after all, only two weeks left of their fourth year. _

_"Good. I wouldn't want to make you cry again." Scorpius teased with a mischievious grin. Albus made to punch him in the shoulder none too nicely, but Scorpius laughed, and Albus paused._

_"You're such an ass." He grumbled. Scorpius shrugged._

_"I won't tease back for fear of those tears."_

_"Okay, Malfoy, seriously-"_

_"Alright, alright, Potter. Don't get your panties in a twist. So what do you say? Enough for now?" Albus seemed to mull this over. Then he grinned._

_"Never."_

Scorpius watched Albus from a distance. Lively, sociable, green eyes glittering. He was seated in the courtyard, a fair distance away, but just close enough. Fourth year had been the only year Scorpius had noticed a depressed Albus Potter.

As he watched Albus laugh, tease, and joke, he decided he didn't much like the idea of a depressed Potter, even if Potter was an annoying ass. Potter might owe him for turning Nate Bitterbridge away for the moment, but it wasn't like Scorpius would actually say anything about it. He stopped watching when Amelia came by, planting a big wet one on a surprised Albus.

Scorpius went back to his paper, but not before a shadow fell over him. He looked up.

"Hey." Lily Potter greeted. Her red hair was gorgeously teased by the slight breeze in the air, her cheeks dusted with light pink, her hazel eyes gleaming. He put down his parchment.

"Hey." She looked over at Albus, then her eyes flickered back onto Scorpius.

"Is my brother that interesting?" She asked. Scorpius smirked.

"Do you want me to say you interest me more?" He teased, a flirtatious lilt to his voice. She grinned, very much like a cat that had just been offered a large plate of fish. She sat down next to him, and he put his parchment away in his bag, eyes flicking over to Albus for just a moment. He looked into her eyes. Hazel, with just a hint of green.

Green…

It reminded him of something, but he shook the thought before it had a chance to form.

A thought like that was simply dangerous.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So what'd ya think? The plot is still forming. Leave a review if you have thoughts. If not...well, tune in next time. Kudos to anyone who realized in the first chapter, where Scorpius was thinking about the green grass, that it actually reminded him of Albus's eyes. He just refuses to acknowledge it. Ah, I love this couple. My favorite next to sasunaru/narusasu. _


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Since there can be no explicitly mature sexual content on this site, the original beginning of this chapter has been censored and changed. If you wish to read the original please visit my livejournal:

lilyeverlasting. livejournal 'slash' 785. html (just stick it all together and put a '.' and a 'com' after livejournal, and eliminate the spaces...can't post it like a link I guess...or slashes? that wouldn't save) Please note this is a mature love scene and under 18-ners should heed the warning.

Disclaimer (realized I didn't have one. Oops): All Harry Potter characters, and everything else Harry Potter related belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just a fan who indulges in fanfiction and likes the characters on the slashy side. I gain nothing from this (but my inner fangirl does). :D

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><p><em>"Because what's worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?"<em>

"Say it," Nate breathed against Albus's ear. Albus squirmed against Nate's touch, sighing, shivering when Nate's teeth grazed his ear.

They were in a shadowed, abandoned classroom (thanks to Nate's newfound student-teacher status, he had keys to the classroom he attended), huddled in a dark corner, hidden from view. A week ago, Albus had walked into McGonagall's office in Lily's stead for the new Quidditch calendar, to see Nathaniel Bitterbridge standing there, discussing his student-teaching opportunities. To say he had been shocked would be an understatement. Albus had tried to walk away with nothing but a rapidly beating heart…but he got more than he bargained for when Bitterbridge caught up to him. Al had broken up with Amelia for this. Refused to see anyone, for that matter, for this. He hadn't been this monogamous since, well…three years ago.

"I...I missed you," Albus whispered, and Nate sighed, just slightly, as if the words were a sort of release. Nate's hands ghosted over Albus's hips, to his belt, and suddenly his skin felt too tight, as if he would burst from the conflicted emotions. He wondered if he could pop like a balloon and zoom into deep, cold, space, and just...forget the past.

Forget why being with Nate was crippling.

He wanted this, didn't he?

_"It's not me, it's you." Albus laughed harshly at that. He glowered at Nate, his head pounding from the restraint of keeping his tears at bay._

_"Oh that makes me feel _loads_ better-"_

_"I can't do this anymore. You don't understand, Al! I can't…I just can't do this."_

_"Is that why you showed up hand in hand with Elisavet Tourna this morning? You chickened out?" He spat, horribly angry. Nate had the decency to look abashed. The older boy hadn't even broken up with Albus. Bitterbridge had merely avoided Al for a couple days, then that morning he had shown up with Elisavet on his arm like a prize. It was a hefty, low blow. Albus deflated, suddenly numb. He shook his head._

_"You know what, you're not even worth it." He muttered, making to leave. Nate's eyes widened, and he grabbed Albus's arm a little desperately._

_"Wait-" Albus wrenched his arm free, not daring to look back at Nate for fear that the other boy would see his tears. He couldn't handle Nate seeing him cry over this. Not when it was so easy for Nate to leave him._

_"Get the _fuck_ away from me, Bitterbridge. Or I swear to God, you aren't going to have a pretty face to show your girlfriend next period." Nate released him without a word, and Albus fled. _

Nate's lips met Albus's.

First loves die hard.

* * *

><p>Scorpius was leaning against the wall, ignoring the Fat Lady's annoying inquiries about his personal life. She batted small, piggy eyes at him, lost in the delusion of her fantasies about teenage life. Who doesn't love juicy gossip and a good romance to spy on in your free time? The Fat Lady lived for it.<p>

"Surely you have someone special. A pretty girl perhaps? Is that why you're waiting out here? Oooh is she from a different house? Do your parents disapprove? Nothing is nearly as _exciting_ as forbidden love!" Scorpius grunted, shoved his hands in his pockets, blocking out her excited, nonsensical babble. Then he saw Potter. Albus was walking nonchalantly up the steps, green eyes dark and brooding. He stopped at the top of the flight of steps. Green eyes met gray, and for a moment, neither moved, only stared. One warily, the other analytically, with a hint of suspicion.

"Waiting for someone?" Albus asked, breaking the silence. Scorpius shrugged, breaking eye contact.

"Maybe." He drawled vaguely, eyes flitting over Albus for a moment. Albus blinked, a slow smirk upturning the corners of his mouth. Scorpius watched the impassiveness dissipate from Potter's features then form into something that resembled satisfaction. Emerald green eyes gleamed like a cat's in the dark. Scorpius didn't say a word, only studied him, realizing that for a moment, Albus Potter wasn't hiding behind an insult or a sneer directed at him. The raven haired teen was looking at him with the same curiosity. They were open, laid out bare to each other, which rarely happened.

Scorpius took this moment to realize where Albus was returning from. Potter was an idiot if he thought no one could see the obvious fling that had erupted between him and Bitterbridge. Scorpius didn't know why he was bothering to think about it now, or why he cared. But he knew one thing: he hadn't threatened Nate Bitterbridge for nothing. He felt suddenly angry, and he felt himself puff up like a toad trying to ward off a snake. He was about to say something, open his mouth and spit out an insult, maybe even a sharp remark with a hidden meaning, when Lily finally showed up. She had been hanging with a Hufflepuff buddy for the evening. Albus noticed her, and something flitted across his face. Surprise? Disappointment? Scorpius couldn't say. It was gone in an instant.

"What're you doing, Al? Thought you had some meeting with a teacher." She frowned at him, disapproving, as if she assumed "some meeting" implied detention. If he had points to earn with a teacher, Lily expected him to earn those points. For the sake of his reputation and so he could skip said imaginary detention for quidditch games. Oh, _please_.

"Guess I got out early." He said with a shrug, suddenly retreating inside himself. The moment was gone, and Albus was no longer open to Scorpius's discretion. He walked towards the portrait, throwing Scorpius his signature glare. Nothing about Potter's features conveyed amusement.

"Do anything to my sister, Malfoy, and I'll kick your pale little ass." Scorpius snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Heh. I think we both know who would get their ass kicked in that situation." Albus shot a glare at him.

"Whatever." He said finally, deciding to let the comment go. Lily huffed.

"Albus, leave us alone." She hissed, suddenly transforming into the embarrassed younger sister rather than the dictating quidditch captain. Albus shook his head and disappeared behind the Fat Lady after muttering the password.

Scorpius found himself alone with Lily. The gorgeous, intelligent, hard to win over, I'll-eat-your-dick-and-spit-it-back-out-if-you-hurt-me, Lily Potter. Intimidating and alluring, all at once. She was the object of many fantasies, Scorpius knew. He _should_ feel like the luckiest guy at Hogwarts. Funny thing was, he only felt angry. He smoothed this feeling over with forced lust as he appreciated the pretty face looming before him. He should feel lucky and satisfied, and dammit, he was going to. It wasn't his problem if Potter was a masochistic idiot on the hunt for heartbreak, and Scorpius would be damned if he was going to play the part of the knight in shining armor. Only close friends or romantic interests did that sort of thing.

_Then what had been doing telling Nate to stay away from Potter last week? _It had been nothing but a favor, looking out for a teammate, and Potter had stomped all over Scorpius's once in a million kindness. Oh well.

"So, you're actually going to give in to my charm." He said to the waiting red head before him. She smiled, honey-slow, before walking up to him and trapping him in a kiss without warning. Her small hand snaked up to entangle slim fingers in his tousled blond hair, and his arms wrapped around her thin waist. She tasted like cinnamon candy; he could feel the tingle of it on his tongue. Hot all the way around. He closed his eyes, and lost himself in the darkness. Her breaths were coming in hot puffs against his mouth as he traced his tongue along her lip, asking for entrance. Eyes still closed, he thought of her face, her eyes. Dazed, he had to wonder what color they were again.

Green-?

His eyes shot open. Not green. _Never_ green. He didn't allow himself to go there. It was something best left unacknowledged. His lips froze against hers. She paused, looking up him and arching a manicured brow.

"Something the matter?" She whispered in a breathy sigh. He blinked, saved face by brushing a strand hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. Then he realized his saving grace.

"It's about five minutes to curfew." He reminded her, watching as her eyes widened. Lily Potter would never put herself in a situation that would affect her precious quidditch, especially not detention. She wouldn't hold this against him. Or so he hoped.

"Oh, shit." She murmured. As if dazed, she turned to the Fat Lady (who, Scorpius realized with increasing discomfort, had played witness to the whole thing and now looked immensely and perversely satisfied). The password tumbled out of Lily's lips, and Scorpius followed her, but the portrait swung closed, stopping Scorpius in his tracks. Irritated, he glared at the pudgy, powdered woman in the frame.

"Pixie dust." He said hurriedly. The same perversely satisfied grin continued to stay plastered to her bloated face.

"Got yourself in a bit of a situation, there don't you? Siblings, _really_? A brother and sister at that! Oh my, how _juicy._" She clucked, whipping out her peacock feather fan and whipping it around her face with relish.

"Pixie dust." He ground out in mounting frustration. She sighed, slowing the fan.

"Oh, alright." She swung her portrait open a little grudgingly. He hurried inside, slipping past Lily, who frowned in disappointment when he didn't stop to continue where they had left off. It wasn't every day she allowed a relationship the opportunity to blossom, let alone with a fellow teammate. His footsteps were quick, clipping against the stairs as he worked his way to the dormitory, not even throwing her an apologetic glance. His head hurt by the time he swung open the door.

He stopped. Albus was peeling off his shirt, exposing creamy skin that rippled with lean toned muscle. Not too muscular, not too lean, a perfect balance. Scorpius's throat ran dry and he looked away. He did _not_ have an attraction to Albus Potter. No way in hell. Crazy, perverted Fat Lady, putting ridiculous thoughts in his head!

_How Juicy._ He flushed, realizing eyes were on him. He would die of embarrassment, he was sure. Albus was watching him, with that quiet air about him again, no glare or sneer in sight. That look that was almost…friendly, even slightly suggestive enough to allow actual conversation. If only he could see inside Scorpius's head (no, he certainly was not staring at Potter's dark lips and he definitely wasn't thinking about kissing while his heart thumped in unrestrained abandon. Stupid Fat lady giving him stupid, gay ideas), the blond was sure Albus would jump him. The play on words (that was _not_ what he had meant!) made him flush deeper, inwardly scandalized.

Dove gray eyes locked with emerald green, and Scorpius wished Albus would say something, _do something. _His breath caught when the raven haired teen sauntered forward. Albus stopped about a foot before Scorpius, who watched with mounting apprehension and-

_Snap! _Scorpius spluttered when Albus took his shirt and whipped Scorpius in face with it. Aaaand the moment was gone. Thank you, Albus Potter.

"The hell-!"

"I think we've gone over this before. I know I'm hot, but damn, Malfoy. Don't make me blush." Albus said with a laugh and roguish wink.

"Fuck you! You little-"

"Shove it, Scorpius." Then Albus's eyes glittered mischievously. "On the other hand-"

"Aarggh! This is why I hate you!" Scorpius complained, throwing his hands up in the air and opting to leave the dormitory. What had been the purpose of going to bed again? He paused when he noticed Albus was behind him. He swallowed and turned.

"You don't hate me." Albus said with a smirk and low voice. Scorpius blinked, then grinned slowly as his mind worked quickly. Albus failed to note the mischief etched into Scorpius's grin. What Albus could have possibly been preoccupied with in order to fail to notice this change in atmosphere, Scorpius wasn't sure. He adopted a suggestive stance, leaning towards Albus slightly, shoving his left hand in his pocket.

"You're right." He said quietly. Albus's eyes widened in surprise, bright as jewels in the sun. Scorpius leaned a little closer, immensely pleased to notice Albus instinctively moved closer as well, as if waiting for Scorpius to entrust a secret unto him. He also looked…_enthralled_. Scorpius almost had to hate himself for what he did next.

Albus squawked in a rather undignified fashion as Scorpius flicked the wand hidden in his pocket and a swarm of tiny fireworks erupted to life, sizzling and popping around Albus's face as if trying to work their way up his nose. He smacked at the sparks, yelping. It was a funny little spell, and the little sparks were definitely annoying and burned like tiny splatters of hot grease on skin when they touched flesh. No worries, however, they were ultimately harmless. It was a good little prank Scorpius had developed. He had only used it on Albus once before, when he tricked Potter into looking into his bag during lunch their second year. He grinned at the memory. _Oh the joys of pranking Potter._

"I despise you." Scorpius drawled as he left the dormitory, waving at Albus, who was spitting like a cat and cursing obscenely enough to cause the most composed of conservative old ladies to faint in distress. Good thing there weren't any in the boy's dormitory. Albus didn't know the counter spell, and the sparks would only fizzle out after two good minutes of pure fun and torture.

Scorpius ventured back into the boy's dormitory around midnight. He snickered when he noticed Albus was still awake, his nose cherry red. He was sitting on top of his bed, doing some homework.

"Not a word, Malfoy, not a word." Potter grumbled darkly, not having to look up to notice the blond by the foot of his bed. Scorpius couldn't help himself. He laughed heartily, and some of the other boys in their wing snickered. That is, until they were met with the withering, acid green glare of Albus Potter.

"Don't make me hex this whole floor." He warned. The boys erupted in laughs, snorts, and quiet jokes. Ultimately, this resulted in some good-hearted fun. After the merriment (which included some more jabs at Albus, and a mock duel between Potter and Malfoy while the boys cheered, laughed, and the younger ones bet with chocolate frog cards) Scorpius found himself staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep. It was two in the morning, and most of the boys had gone to sleep, including Albus. Scorpius felt his eyes drooping, then finally close, enveloping in the comforting darkness of sleep, pulling him towards the sweet escape of a dream.

_His hands were everywhere. Running over his body, pulling at his hair. His mouth was ravaging the lips it was planted on, nipping, sucking, kissing so deeply he felt light as air. He pulled away, just for a second, to relish the look of the body beneath him._

_The other teen was flushed from desire, emerald eyes hooded in satisfaction, mouth dark from his kisses, Albus grinned at him before snaking his arms around Scorpius's shoulders and pulling him down for another searing kiss._

_"You don't hate me." Albus said teasingly, his voice hovering above a sensual purr. Scorpius shuddered, and he could feel the sweet release of his orgasm teasing him relentlessly. He claimed Albus's lips for his own in a possessive kiss-_

Scorpius's eyes shot open. He was on his back, his breathing ragged, sweat beading on his brow, and a primal hunger curling in anticipation down south. He swallowed a little noisily, slightly horrified that the buried attraction had actually manifested itself in a dream, but the nonetheless aroused. He slipped out of bed, readjusting himself, and hurried to the bathroom, grabbing his towel from the closet near his bed. It was nothing a long, leisurely shower couldn't fix. He walked briskly past Potter's bed, not wanting to look upon him, but slowed when he realized Albus's bed was empty. Scorpius paused.

It was five in the morning. What the hell was Albus doing at five in the morning? Shaking his head and dismissing it, he hurried forth, trying to clear his head. He reached the double doors leading to the bathroom and showers, but it opened before he could do anything but reach for the door.

Nathaniel Bitterbridge slipped from the bathroom like a shadow, winking at Scorpius, grinning like a predator prancing about with a hunk of meat in its mouth.

"Still going to tell me to back off, now, Malfoy? Looks like I've won." He whispered in triumph as he walked away. Scorpius watched him leave, stunned. Suddenly, his erection was gone.

_The fuck did that bastard mean?_ Dread curled in his gut, and he walked into the bathroom. Hunched over the marble sinks, splashing his face with water clad only in sweatpants, was Albus. Upon hearing someone enter the bathroom he looked up, almost expectantly, blinking in surprise (disappointment? Scorpius wondered) and flushing when he noticed Scorpius. The blond looked away, suddenly irritated.

"Way to go, Al." He commented dryly before he could help himself, and turned towards a shower, only catching a glimpse of Albus's shocked face. He suddenly felt embarrassed by his outburst, and was glad he couldn't really see Potter's face. God, did he have to take this so _personally?_ It wasn't like the situation affected _him_ in any way.

"The hell's your problem?" The other boy shot back, but Scorpius didn't respond, only hopped in a shower stall. Before he could undress, the shower stall flew open, much to Scorpius's immense surprise.

"No thanks, I'm not interested in a threesome." Scorpius deadpanned. Albus recoiled in disgust. Potter looked ready to hit him.

"What's wrong with you? My problems aren't yours so stay out of it!"

"I'm sure the faculty will find it to be their problem." Scorpius interrupted, cool voice laced with a threat. Albus blanched. For a moment, he floundered for words.

"I told you, this isn't your problem! Stay out of my fucking business. Why would you care what happens to me anyway? You _despise_ me, remember?" Albus said scathingly.

"Yes, you're right. I despise you enough to make your unethical relationship a little rocky. Hell, we see the guy for Charms every Tuesday, and you're _sleeping _with him? No wonder your grade's higher than mine. How am I supposed to keep my marks higher than yours if you have this unfair advantage?" Albus stared at him, his face still pale, as if he couldn't believe what was pouring out of Scorpius's mouth. He regained his composure, sneering.

"Jealous, Malfoy?" He spat. Scorpius laughed lightly, though his chest tightened and his heart clenched. _You wish I was jealous enough to actually do something._

"Yes, Potter, I want you so bad I just can't help myself." He said dryly, his features never betraying his rapidly beating heart. Albus's anger was beginning to tease the border of real rage, Scorpius realized. _Good_. Albus's fist reeled back, but Scorpius grabbed onto his arm, pinning him against the stall with brute force. They glared at each other, breath ragged. Albus wrenched himself free.

"Fuck you, Malfoy." He growled dangerously, and stalked out of the stall.

"In your dreams, Potter." He called out. The door to the bathroom slammed shut. Scorpius didn't move. Cursing, he began to strip. His head began to pound, he was so angry.

_Looks like I've won._ Scorpius stepped into the shower, welcoming the hot spray. How could that bastard Bitterbridge have won, if Scorpius hadn't been playing in the first place?

* * *

><p>Albus wished it was the weekend. Instead, it was Thursday, and Albus was sitting in Potions. He had done his best to avoid Scorpius like the plague. The group of friends they both hung around were puzzled. Whenever Scorpius managed to come around, Albus strangely disappeared. If Hugo looked irritatingly thoughtful around him before, the taller teen was now eyeing his cousin with an unabashedly knowing look that threatened to cause Albus's fist to collide with Hugo's face.<p>

He tried to concentrate on the lecture, but he was distracted and tired. _Well, no duh._ He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, mentally cursing Nate and his unnecessary roughness and fighting a wince. Some things never changed, he supposed. The bell rang, and Albus shot out of his seat, hurried out the door. He noticed the blur that was Scorpius behind him, but paid the blond no heed.

He intended to march to Transfiguration not speaking to anyone, but a body sidled up next to him, seemingly walking beside him with no greater purpose other than to get to their own destination. Well, that assumption couldn't have been more wrong. Albus reddened.

"Don't look so obvious." Nate murmured, smiling secretly. Albus huffed.

"What are you doing-?"

"What? I can't walk next to you?" He said with a chuckle, but then he grew serious.

"I saw Malfoy trailing you for a moment there." His face darkened as he said it. Albus's brow furrowed. Why would Nate give a shit about Malfoy?

"So?" He snapped. Nate's smile was icy.

"Mr. Bitterbridge! You aren't paid to socialize with the students!" Professor Dearborn called out. Nate turned away from Albus without a second glance, striding towards the thin woman, whose lip was curled in distaste. It seemed she had a huge stack of parchment papers for Nate to grade. It was a surprise when Lily approached him.

"Hey, have you seen Scorpius?" She asked mildly. Albus shrugged. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh stop being so pouty today! It's annoying. Man up." She ordered. Albus barked out a laugh.

"Whatever, Lily."

"Practice is at three today, not five."

"How could I forget." He muttered with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. She'd only reminded him three times since breakfast. Thankfully, a group of six year girls came to his escape, whisking Lily away, a few of them shooting suggestive, flirty smirks towards Albus. He pointedly ignored them, and promptly crushed a few hopeful hearts.

Albus thanked whatever higher entity that ruled over humanity and the earth for the good fortune in the weather. April often brought on cold showers, gray skies, and chilly winds. Today, however, the sun shone, promising a ray of warmth for the quidditch players assembled on the field. Lily was barking out orders.

"Speed drills. Now, and Al, do me a favor and hit Scorpius with a quaffle until he's blue in the face from protecting the goal. Don't go easy on him, we need him on his best guard for the game next week." Scorpius frowned at the thought, but the girls on the team snickered into their gloved hands. Lily hadn't forgiven Scorpius for brushing off her kiss yet. Albus grinned. _With pleasure._

Albus soared through the air, the wind combing cool fingers through his black hair. He hovered by the goal, grinning maliciously at the blond who guarded the goals. Scorpius's face remained impassive, but Albus noticed how his gray eyes pinned Albus with a look of distaste. Unfortunately for Scorpius, this didn't bode well with the person who was about to shoot quaffles at him.

Without warning, Albus sent the quaffle flying, whipping it forward with as much strength as he could muster. It sailed effortlessly through the air in a red blur. It hit Scorpius in the face when he tried to block. The blond cursed and held a hand over his eye.

"Potter," He warned as he threw the ball back over to Albus. Albus shrugged innocently.

"Not my fault if you can't do a simple block, Malfoy." Albus played with the quaffle a moment, tossing it up in the air and catching it, clearly annoying Scorpius.

"Throw it already!" The other boy cried. Albus complied, calculating his throw so that the quaffle once again aimed to hit Scorpius in the head. The blond reeled back, protecting himself better to avoid getting slammed in the face when he caught it. He glowered.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the girl with a grudge." Scorpius ground out irritably. Albus felt the color rise in him.

"I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were jealous." Albus growled as he shot the quaffle at him again. Scorpius dodged it, and it sailed through a ring. The blond grinned triumphantly. Albus had missed.

"Me? Jealous? I'm looking at you right now, and I don't see anything worth being jealous over." He taunted. He enjoyed the flushed, angry look that contorted Albus's smooth features. It was coming, and he knew it. He was going to push just the right button, and they would end up in McGonagall's office again, but a bludger came at them and Albus yelped, barely missing it. The growling metal ball then directed its attention towards Scorpius, whose eyes widened almost comically as it zoomed straight for him. He did the only thing he could do in that split second: catch it. It hit him with such force the wind was knocked out of him and he was sent reeling backwards. He struggled to keep a hold on the damn thing.

"You two have to be the stupidest, most hot-tempered people on this team. Get off this field and go bromance it up or something before I throttle you both. The game's a week away, and I want this team working together as a whole." Lily called shrilly.

"I think you take the cake for most hot-tempered, Lily." Albus commented. Lily glowered at him on her broom.

"Get off the fucking field. Some of us actually want to practice." She commanded. Subdued by the venom in her voice and the ferocious gleam in her eyes, the two teens left. As they neared the school, Scorpius fuming silently beside him, Albus found he couldn't take the silence anymore. He noticed Scorpius wasn't paying attention to him. He stared ahead as if the school was the only thing he could see. Nonchalantly, Albus tripped him. Scorpius stumbled, cursing.

"One of these days, I'm going to kill you." These words clashed with the lack of threat in Malfoy's tired voice.

"You like me too much for that." Albus teased. He couldn't help it. The way Scorpius had looked at him yesterday…

It had almost been too enticing to resist. Besides, Albus was sure Scorpius would never act on it. He'd always assumed the boy was straight as an arrow. Who didn't go through a moment where the possibilities seemed endless, however? Of course, with someone like Scorpius, that sort of thought would likely die out before it had a real chance to form into an idea, let alone a fantasy. It'd be fun to push his buttons this way (He wouldn't admit that baiting Malfoy this way had its perks and he took way too much pleasure in it). Besides, Scorpius deserved any discomfort or pain Al imposed on him. Albus wasn't going to forget his threat from earlier that morning. It angered him that the other disliked him so much (and it stung in a way Albus hadn't anticipated) that he'd ruin what he could simply to see Albus humiliated and broken.

To his surprise, however, Scorpius didn't rise to the bait.

"Whatever." The blond muttered moodily. Albus paused, curiosity piqued. He noticed a bruise was blossoming along Scorpius's jaw from where the quaffle had hit him. He suddenly felt like an ass, and sighed. _Why me?_

"Look, er…sorry about earlier." Scorpius looked at him strangely, as if he was unsure about what Albus was apologizing about.

"The quaffle? I'm talking about the quaffle, you dolt." Albus grumbled. Scorpius scowled and said nothing.

"Has Lily gotten under your skin that much?" He asked, chest tightening as he asked. He had to remind himself that Lily was a gorgeous girl. What is that much of a surprise that Scorpius had developed an attraction towards his sister?

Not that he was jealous. He was, after all, the wrong gender to begin with when it came to Malfoy. Plus, ghostly pale gits with remarkably good looks and an irritating personality weren't his type anyway. Or so he liked to tell himself.

"No." Scorpius snapped, answering his earlier question. Albus opened his mouth to speak, but a familiar figure swept past, deliberately but smoothly pushing in between the two. Albus was surprised to see the plain anger on Scorpius's face at Nate's appearance. The blond stalked off after sharing a glower with Nate.

"Potter, I was wondering if you could stop by the classroom tonight. Say eight o'clock? I want a word with you about the paper you've failed to turn in. We can discuss your grade. Professor Dearborn has left me in charge of such things." It was only a means to smuggle Albus into the classroom for a little "study" time. He nodded curtly, heat snaking up his neck at the implication. Nate was a love-hate relationship. While Albus was secretly pleased at the fact that the man had actually sought him out and claimed to have never forgotten their relationship, he was having a hard time forgiving him for how he'd left.

Nate swept past him without a word, leaving him in the courtyard.

"Albus!" Albus blinked, looking over to his cousin Rose, a Ravenclaw, come racing up to him. Her curly, slightly bushy auburn hair trailing behind around her heart shaped face as she hurried forth. She stopped a foot before him, her freckled cheeks slightly pink. Her brown eyes swiveled over to the retreating figure of. She let out an exaggerated sigh, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Rose didn't exactly speak a lot to him. She was a quiet, reserved person. As small children pre-Hogwarts, Albus, Rose, and Hugo had been just about inseperable. Then Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw, and she and Albus gradually grew distant. The most they ever spoke to each other was during holidays and summer break. Therefore they no longer had much of a relationship to base hanging out on, save for the excuse of being cousins. He hadn't spoken to her in a couple weeks. Needless to say he was a bit surprised she had singled him out.

"You know Mr. Bitterbridge well, don't you?" She gasped out finally. Albus's heart clenched.

"A little, I guess." What an understatement. Rose beamed.

"Wonderful! Professsor Dearborn's at some sort of conference, so she can't help me with my assignment this week. But, I can't seem to track Bitterbridge down. He doesn't seem to remember offering to look over my paper." She explained in a rush.

"Oh, well, I guess I can remind him for you if that's what you want?"

"I was hoping to reach you before he left but…" She gestured vaguely, indicating his leaving. Albus nodded in understanding.

"He _has_ to look over it! Professor Dearborn will be back on Monday and that's when it's due."

"Don't worry so much, Rose. You'll get an O, as usual. You're brilliant, you know." He teased. She smiled shyly, and suddenly he wished he could talk to her like he used to. She had always been a trustworthy confidant-

"Well, I guess I'll see you!" She said brightly.

"Hey, Rose, wait a minute." She turned expectantly. Albus chickened out.

"Er, you guys are coming over during break, right?" He said lamely, meaning her whole immediate family. She blinked.

"Yeah, we always do." Her eyes narrowed a little in suspicion.

"You okay?" She asked, softly. He swallowed a little compulsively, feeling nervous and slightly exposed.

"Fine." He covered with a fake smile, but he knew Rose was smarter than that. She looked a bit concerned.

"Well, okay then. See you later." She left, leaving him slightly hurt that she didn't press the matter further or at least offer to hear him if he ever needed it. What did he expect? They weren't exactly _close_ like they used to be. He sighed.

* * *

><p>Eight o'clock came too quickly. He had been wandering the halls an hour before. Albus was eager to see Nate, and he wasn't eager to bump into Scorpius, who seemed determined to plant his ass in the Common room where he was unavoidable. He also wasn't in the mood to be in the presence of his friends. They had grown subdued when he was around, as if they were concerned. It irritated him. He wasn't fragile, dammit. He hated the looks in their eyes. They wanted to ask if something was wrong, but they didn't dare. Instead, they laughed, joked, and talked about girls, wondering if Albus would ever bring his troubles out into the open air.<p>

As if.

He had decided he had to get out of there when Hugo came up to him. The lanky boy didn't say anything at first. The boys of the quidditch team were gathered in the common room, goofing off as usual. Hugo, on the other hand, was silent, sitting by his cousin and going through a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans.

Albus and Hugo had a solid friendship, but Albus knew he was neglecting his cousin lately. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Hugo. What unnerved Albus was that he was pretty sure Hugo was onto him about his sexuality, which was his own little secret (well, with his family anyway).

"See you with that student teacher a lot." Hugo said suddenly, breaking the ice, and breaking it with a damn good effect. Albus's stomach flopped.

"Yeah. Knew him before he graduated. Your point?" Hugo sighed deeply. He sifted through the jellybeans in his hand for the last of the good tasting beans, carefully throwing the ones with a potentially gross or hazardous flavor back into the box. His soft brown eyes narrowed thoughtfully at a white and yellow bean before popping it in his mouth. He grimaced, swallowing with a little difficultly.

"That was _not_ popcorn flavor." He said with a shudder.

"Eww."

"Anyway, I don't think you should hang around him as much. Something about the way he looks at you…creeps me out, man." Albus took this statement the wrong way.

"What do you mean? You got a problem with gays?" He growled. Hugo looked startled, choking on the jellybean he had chosen. He coughed violently in an attempt to get it out of his windpipe. He shook his shaggy brown head and hit his chest.

"What? No! I mean he looks at you like a piece of meat." Albus sighed exasperatedly.

"I know, Albus. You don't have to tell me."

"Whatever."

"Can't you just…you know, be careful? That sort of thing's gonna cause a _lot_ of problems. Not to mention the guy's hope of a career." Albus didn't answer. He didn't have the energy right now to feel guilty. Hugo looked thoughtful again.

"Isn't there, you know, someone around _our_ age you're interested in?" He pressed. He watched Albus's face carefully. Albus fidgeted. Their age? Hmm.

"Oi! Scor!" One of the guys called out. They joked and pestered the blond, laughing. Albus looked away.

"Not really." He mumbled. Hugo sighed.

"Whatever, man." He shook his head as though his cousin were a lost cause. "You know, it's not healthy to hang on to a relationship with someone like Bitterbridge."

"It's not healthy to delude yourself into wanting people you can't have either. I guess I don't win either way." Hugo regarded him with an aggravated look.

"You just don't get it."

"I think I understand plenty. I'm out of here." Albus muttered. Hugo had said nothing to that.

Albus hesitated outside of the classroom. The door was closed. He was fifteen minutes early. _Is this worth it? _He had come into this with thoughts of how their previous relationship had been. He remembered those feelings so clearly. It had been bliss, if he remembered correctly. Painful, but utter bliss.

Had he deluded himself into thinking that Nate was someone he wanted to be with? When he was fourteen, he had thought he would never be able to look at another guy again after Nate left. He was sure he had lost part of him. Had he fallen in love with the idea of Nate instead of Nate himself? Had the guy actually done _anything_ since their coming together to prove it was more than fucking?

Not really. It was a thought that Albus didn't want to face, he knew that. He wanted to believe in love. He'd loved Nate before, maybe he still loved him now. He was definitely still attracted to him, definitely still felt butterflies around him.

What was love, anyway? Sighing, he opened the classroom door, and froze. There was a woman in the classroom. Not just any woman, either. Elisavet Tourna was in front of Nate's desk, talking animatedly with her hands. Albus noticed the glint of a ring on her left hand. The blood froze in his veins. He was about to quietly close the door and run, when Nate noticed him. The man blinked, surprise making his smile freeze and slacken. Elisavet turned.

"Oh, yes, you were supposed to help a student tonight. I'll just get going, then. I just couldn't wait, I had to come tell to you that we got that cute little place on the hill for the reception." She said to Nate as she stroked his hand. He smiled at her, but it was forced. Of course, his fiancée was too excited by whatever the hell it was she couldn't wait to talk about. She turned to leave, kissing Nate fully on the mouth and beaming at Albus, not even caring that the teen was frowning at her, and not noticing that his green eyes were smoldering with betrayal and hurt. She closed the classroom door behind her and Nate stood, walking over to Albus. He seemed fidgety.

"You're a little early. You could have waited, but I guess I don't mind." He tugged on Albus's tie, trying to pull the teen forward for a kiss, but Albus ripped himself away violently, shoving the young man before him.

"What the FUCK was that?" Albus exploded, gesturing wildly towards the door. Nate frowned.

"Don't worry about it-" Albus barked out a harsh laugh.

"You left me for her, and not only are you still with her, you're _engaged?" _Nate looked a little stricken, but his irritation was more apparent.

"Don't worry about her. I'm with you right now, aren't I?" Albus gaped at him. Was this guy _serious?_ What the _fuck._ He was too angry to form coherent thoughts that excluded the word _fuck_ at this particular moment.

"There's something wrong with you." He said finally, turning to leave, but Nate stopped him.

"Please. Al, please, let me explain."

"There's _nothing_ left for you to explain!"

"I'm marrying her, yes, but I don't care for her the same way as I care about you-" Nate tried to explain desperately.

"You know this funny thing happens when you talk. Shit falls out of your mouth. It's gross."

"I _have_ to marry her!"

"Bullshit."

"You just _don't_ understand. My family would never accept me if they knew-"

"Poor, pitiful you." Albus said sarcastically. "Whatever, I'm done. See ya in class on Tuesday. Consider this the end of our fucked up little tryst, and also the last." Nate tried to keep his hold on Albus's arm, but the seventeen year old fought against him.

"Oh come on, don't make me hit you." Albus warned. He was already dangerously close to snapping.

"Al-!"

"You're with someone _else_, Nate. What makes you think I want to come second?" Nate's dark eyes flashed.

"You're angry about me being in a relationship that means nothing when you're screwing around with Malfoy?" The anger died in Albus for a fraction of a moment. Just long enough for him to blink owlishly at Nate, as though the young man had grown a second head.

"_What?" _Albus's voice came out in a disbelieving yell, voice high.

"Oh please, don't act like I don't know." Nate growled.

"You're deluding yourself-"

"Oh really? Care to explain to me why he threatened me and told me to back off when it came to you?" Albus was shocked. He didn't have anything to say to that, because he was clueless as to why Scorpius would have done that. It wasn't like Malfoy had anything to gain from telling Nate to back off.

"Knew it. Well, I don't care if you play around with him in your spare time, because in the end, you're always going to come right back to me anyway." Nate pulled Albus forward for a kiss, but ended up getting what was coming to him. Albus hit him, right in the mouth, and stalked off. Nate groaned, holding a hand to his mouth as if trying to keep his teeth from falling out, but he ran after Albus, who was walking down the corridors when Nate grabbed him in a vise-like grip and whirled him around. Albus waited for the angry, verbal abuse likely to be rained down upon him, but then something peculiar happened.

"Thought I told you to back the fuck off, Bitterbridge." Scorpius's voice rang out. He was leaning against the stone wall a few feet before them. Nate paused. Albus blinked.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? I thought I told _you_ to stay out of my problems!" Albus cried, too stunned to sound angry. Nate looked ready to hit something. That or have a brain aneurysm. He gripped Albus's arm harder.

"You're not involved with him? Like hell." Nate hissed.

"You gonna let him go?" Scorpius drawled. Albus felt fit to explode. Probably looked like it too.

"Get _out_ of here, Malfoy. I can take care of myself, dammit. I'm not some damsel in distress!" He was beyond humiliated that Scorpius looked ready to step in as though Albus couldn't handle himself. Jesus, it wasn't like he was in a violent situation, and even if he was, he had a hell of a right hook. This was just a little lover's quarrel.

Okay, maybe he _had _hit Nate just a little…

He chanced a peek at Nate's face and noticed, smugly, that the man would have a bruise and a fat lip tomorrow. Serves the bastard right. Scorpius seemed to ignore Albus's request. The blond and Nate seemed to be sizing each other up. Nate, of course, wasn't as stupid nor was he impulsive enough as to actually provoke a student on a violent level. He dropped Albus's hand in disgust.

"Don't come looking for me, Potter." He sneered. Albus snorted.

"Like I would after tonight?" He retorted. Without a word, Nate disappeared back into the classroom, shutting it with a firm _snap._ Albus turned to direct a glare at Scorpius.

"Who the hell roams these halls when class isn't in session anyway?" Sccorpius shrugged.

"The stairs that lead to the owlery are past this hall. I have a letter to deliver." There was tense silence.

"Why did you do that?" Albus asked lowly. Scorpius didn't meet his eyes.

"Why are you involved with him?" He shot back.

"I'm not. Not anymore."

"Yeah, whatever." Scorpius said with a roll of his eyes.

"You didn't need to make me look some girl who needed saving." Albus said grumpily. Scorpius chuckled.

"So you didn't need a knight in shining armor?" Albus paused.

"_What?" _Was Scorpius bent on destroying his pride and dignity? Sure as hell seemed like it. Scorpius laughed again.

"Not a damsel in distress, huh? Could've fooled me." He said, purely to bait Albus. It worked.

"Fuck you, Malfoy."

All was right with the world again.

* * *

><p>AN: What is your take on the situation? Albus had two timed a _lot _in the past, and if his lovers were aware of each other, they likely have felt as Albus feels now. Is he getting what he deserves? *winces for Albus's sake* Is there a difference between what Nate is doing to Albus and Albus was doing with Dante and Amelia? Can either of them justify their actions? Nate obviously cannot accept the homosexual side of himself, and is too afraid to come out to his family, so he uses Elisavet like a cover. Albus, on the other hand, isn't necessarily ashamed of who he is, more like he's still testing the waters. What's your take on this? No Draco this chapter, but we'll get to that.

Scorpius to the rescue! *snickers* As for Scorpius? I guess his story will be revealed little by little. He's got a lot going on right now on the home front.

What will Chapter 4 bring with it? Well, you'll find out soon. As a teaser, here's one of the quotes that will go with it:

_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous._

Mwahahaha. If you review, I'll love you foreverrrr O_O


	4. Chapter 4

_Jealousy is born with love...Or not._

Charms class was now officially the bane of Albus Potter's short-lived existence. Professor Dearborn had returned from her conference perky as ever and ready to take over the class. However, this did not exclude Bitterbridge from the classroom. Dearborn often made use of him by having him grade papers at her desk while she lectured. All Albus needed was to get through this week; on Saturday he and the rest of the student body with lives outside of Hogwarts would be heading back home for spring break. He peeked at the clock.

Five minutes. Just five more minutes.

"And that concludes the lesson. For the remaining five minutes of class, Mr. Bitterbridge will hand back your papers." Nate rose stiffly and began handing back rolls of parchment. Albus jiggled his foot as he waited. He didn't look up when Nate stopped by his table and dropped the parchment as though it was a dirty tissue. Sighing, Albus peeked at it. He had been confident when turning it in, so he wasn't particularly worried.

He did a double take, and before he knew it, he was standing. _Oh hell no._

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Dearborn asked in that trilling voice of hers. He glared, but sat back down, grudgingly. Hugo was sitting next to him, throwing him a curious look.

"What gives?" He wanted to know, the relief from his passing grade palpable. Albus clenched his jaw , jerking his head towards the parchment. Hugo took it, and shook his head. The paper was _covered_ in red marks. Bitterbridge had practically made a homicide out of the damn thing. The word _Poor_ was written at the top.

"That's just cold."

"Fucking Bitterbridge, trying to ruin my fucking life." Albus grumbled darkly, the glare he was directing at the student teacher's back promising a slow, tortuous death. The bell rang and Albus grabbed the paper and marched towards Nate.

"Why did I fail?" He growled out. Nate, who had been speaking to Dearborn, carefully looked at Albus for a moment, smug.

"You're thesis was weak. You could have delved more deeply into your topic instead of leaving it as a skeleton of a paper. I felt you could have put more meat on its bones. Also, a few of your points were vague and not well thought out. They didn't connect well to your thesis. Really, Potter, how you have been getting by with such poorly written papers?" _Can't hit Bitterbridge. Can't hit Bitterbridge. _Albus swallowed his scathing remarks and cast an almost desperate glance at Dearborn. She eyed him apologetically.

"Sorry, Potter, but I'm not going to doubt my student-teacher's grading capabilities when I sat grading papers with him myself. If you would like, we can go over the paper together, I can point out from Bitterbridge's marks what you could have done differently, and I can issue you an extra credit assignment to bump up the grade a little." Albus shook his head.

"No need to look over it, Professor, I'm sure I know what I did wrong." He noticed how Nate stiffened beside him, but he didn't dare look at the man.

"Extra credit will be on my desk by lunch. Come pick it up. If it's not handed in by Friday at noon, you won't reap the benefits of the points."

"Got it." He left swiftly, and held his outburst until he met up with the group.

"I hear you didn't pass. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Gray said with a snicker. Albus glowered at him.

"I swear to God, Gray-"

"So did you ask him about it?" Hugo interrupted. Albus puffed up indignantly.

"The asshole told me he didn't know how I _get by_ with such poorly written papers!" Brian Gray choked on a laugh. Albus glared at him.

"I think I've fallen in love." Brian joked, face flushed with glee. It was a common fact that Gray was an unproclaimed rival of Al's when it came to school, and he was bitterly jealous of Albus for his high marks, especially when Potter goofed off as much as Gray did and seemed to only put forward a minimum effort when Brian stayed up till the wee hours of dawn studying at times.

"Oh shut up, Gray." Albus said with a roll of his eyes. They walked in silence for a few yards. They passed the courtyard, and Albus immediately noticed Scorpius, who was sitting on a bench in the sun and sifting through his bag, brows furrowed. As usual these days, the blond looked irritable. As if able to sense Albus's gaze, he looked up, and the two locked eyes. Albus flushed uncomfortably and looked away.

He had not spoken to Scorpius since Thursday night. He wasn't avoiding Malfoy, they had just kept their distance. The embarrassment that the _incident_ had caused still lingered, and Albus felt he couldn't look Scorpius in the eye. Scopius suddenly knew more about Albus than most of his siblings or closest friends by pure coincidence. It was odd. His heart did this weird little flutter, which he absolutely hated, when Scorpius suddenly grabbed his bag and walked over. Brian and Hugo seemed surprised.

"The mighty Malfoy graces us with his presence. I'm touched." Brian teased with mock awe as he held his hand over his heart dramatically. Scorpius rolled his eyes. Albus had to concentrate on his feet. It was better if he didn't look.

"Whatever. I know I haven't been around much lately-"

"Lately? Talk about most of the year." Brian huffed. He looked to Hugo and Albus for back up on this.

"D'aww, did you miss me, Gray? I didn't know you liked me so much." Scorpius teased, hooking an arm around Brian's neck. The shorter boy laughed. Brian was probably one of Scorpius's closer friends on the quidditch team, and Scorpius had definitely been neglecting that friendship.

"Yeah, well, I don't know if I'd go that far. I think I miss the peace and quiet now. I can actually hear myself think without you around, you know." Scorpius's eyes widened, a mockery of hurt pride.

"You wound me." He said with a dramatic flourish. Albus bit his lip and swallowed a chuckle. Scorpius hadn't been this lively in a while. Brian guffawed.

"It's nice to you acting like your old self for once. Care to share the reasons behind your absence? Is it a girl? Huh? I heard rumors about you and Potter-" He stopped at the look on Scorpius's face. He missed the way the gray eyes flicked to Albus, who was eerily quiet on Brian's left. Albus concentrated on his feet again.

"You know, Lily? I mean, sure, Albus is a good looking guy, but let's face it, he's not a smokin' hot red head." Brian said with a loud laugh. Albus growled.

"Gray, that's my sister you're talking about. Shut up before I kick your scrawny ass, you're gonna make my ears bleed. And I _am_ smokin' hot, dammit." The boys laughed. Albus and Scorpius locked eyes again, but Al quickly broke eye contact. It was irritating him how his stomach twisted whenever the possibility of Scorpius and Lily dating popped up.

"_So_, bleeding ears aside, you tapping that?" Brian waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Scorpius flushed, Hugo snickered but looked uncomfortable, and Albus had just about had it.

"GRAY!" He roared. Brian squeaked.

"Oi, okay! Remember Albus, violence is _not_ the answer!" He darted behind Scorpius when Albus tried to hit him in the shoulder with his heavy Charms book. It was then Albus realized he was right in front of Scorpius. The boys seemed to suddenly remember their proximity to each other seemed to inflict sudden bouts of discomfort and inexplicable stomach problems.

Read: butterflies. _How embarrassing. _Scorpius shattered the tense, slightly awkward moment of looking at each other by deciding how best to proceed.

"If you're afraid of Potter I just lost the respect I might have had for you." Scorpius drawled, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Aw, fuck you, Malfoy-" Albus replied.

"Come on, you gotta admit the guy's got an aura of death around him when he's pissed. Those green eyes are full of poison. Poison, I tell you! Look and be afraid!" Scorpius did not look. He only harrumphed. Albus shook his head, swallowing a chuckle.

"You guys are idiots." Albus grumbled, though he laughed. Hugo was chuckling.

"Gray, you really are an idiot." The lanky boy drawled.

"I'm a _genius_. My talents exceed the boundaries of comedy, you know."

"Tell me that when your grade's higher than mine." Albus said with a snicker and cheeky grin. Gray flushed.

"It _is _by now_._ I, unlike you, received an 'O' on my paper, dumbass. You failed. Bitterbridge knows genius when he sees it, obviously." The sudden shadow that eclipsed Albus's face at the mention of Bitterbridge was lost to Brian, who rattled on relentlessly about the student-teachers new "favorite".

"Serves you right, Potter. You got way too much attention from him in class anyway, you sneaky little brownnoser-"

"Brian, shut up." Scorpius said suddenly. Brian stopped talking, and blinked. He frowned. Shocked, Albus cast a glance at the blond. _Did Scorpius just stick up for me? Weird. _He flushed, looking away, scowling. Brian seemed confused at the sudden hostility that edged Scorpius's voice.

"Whoa, look who's getting all serious on me. Chill out, it's just a joke, and Potter's a big boy." He complained. Albus did not appreciate Gray's comment or Scorpius's meddling. It felt too personal. Scorpius knew too much, and it was beginning to freak him out. _Great, now I look like some weepy girl post break-up. Brilliant. _

"You know, I got somewhere to be. See you guys at practice." He veered off, walking back towards the school.

"Aw, _come on_!" Brian cried. Hugo just shook his head, watching as his cousin walked away, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Just let him be." Hugo advised. He noticed that Scorpius was quiet, eyes on the retreating figure.

_Arent' you, you know, interested in someone our age?_ Hugo eyed Malfoy thoughtfully. It was as he suspected, he decided.

"The cheeky little bastard. Look at him, already talking to Bitterbridge. He's just doing it to piss me off!" Brian huffed. That caught Hugo's attention. He tensed, and looked up. Sure enough, Nate seemed to be speaking to Albus by the entrance of the courtyard.

What the-? Hadn't that relationship hit the curb over the weekend? What was Bitterbridge_ thinking?_ What was Albus thinking? He was about to stroll over and rescue his cousin with an excuse of a sudden and unexpected team meeting, when he noticed, to his immense surprise that Scorpius was already walking forward with a purpose.

From this distance, Hugo noticed Bitterbridge glancing around. He paused when he noticed Scorpius and made a quick retreat. Albus walked on as if nothing had happened. Scorpius stopped, shoulders tense, never reaching Albus. Hugo walked up to him.

"Something the matter?" He asked. Scorpius glanced up at him.

"No." He said in a guarded voice.

"I think we both have to give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Bitterbridge." Hugo found himself saying. Scorpius's brow furrowed. _This is _too_ obvious for me. It all makes sense now._

"What?" There was a brief silence.

"Funny, I didn't take you for the jealous type." Scorpius's left eye twitched at this.

"Excuse me?" But Hugo was already walking away, waving.

"See ya at practice, Malfoy. Oh, and, people don't like to wait around forever, and I think you've been holding off long enough." He left a charmingly befuddled Scorpius Malfoy in the courtyard. He smiled to himself, shaking his shaggy brown mop.

_Well, well, well. What do you know, Malfoy's got a crush._

* * *

><p><em>A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.<em>

Scorpius had a headache. Thankfully, the slight chill that clung to the April air felt good, and made the pounding in his temples more bearable. He was irritated, he was tired, he was hungry. All these things contributed to his dark mood and the damned headache.

Boo hoo.

His grip on his broomstick tightened. The team was scrimmaging. Potter was playing as a Chaser, while his stand-in for Seeker, Rain Greenwell, practiced with the snitch. She'd only needed to step in as Seeker once before in Albus's entire history of being team Seeker, but with the big game so close, Lily wanted to ensure that the team Seeker and the stand-in were prepared for it. Just to be on the safe side. So, while Rain had a go with the snitch, Albus entertained himself by scrimmaging with the team. Hugo and Brian were the team Beaters, gliding around palming the short, heavy bats that directed the bludgers. Scorpius kept a wary eye out for the growling metal ball. Lily had actually released one for a more authentic feel. Damned crazy, obsessed Quidditch captain was going to drive them into the ground today.

Goody.

Potter was preparing to try and score, and Scorpius snapped to attention. He blocked the quaffle with a well-aimed kick, sending it flying back towards the players. He watched Potter zoom away. It was cloaks against no cloaks. Potter was on cloaks, his crimson cloak billowing out behind him as he chased a no cloak player around the pitch.

"Heads up!" Hugo yelled. Scorpius ducked just in time as the bludger zoomed past him. The words Hugo had spoken to him earlier made him pause as he hovered. He mulled the cryptic words over in his head. Too many thoughts. Too many thoughts were occupying his brain. God, he wanted to sleep. Brian flew by the bludger, hitting it, attempting to keep it away from all the players as it whirred around the players, angry as a hornet, but the hit just sent the bludger crashing and ricocheting off the beams of the wooden stands that held the bleachers for onlookers.

"WATCH OUT!" Brian bellowed, and Scorpius knew it had hit someone when a collective hush fell over the team. A player with a cloak dropped from the sky, landing hard on the grass below. Scorpius blinked. Potter stumbled from his broom. Blood spilled onto his white shirt, staining it ruby red. Without much thought, Scorpius joined the other players who landed to check on Albus. Lily was livid.

"Dammit, Gray, what the fuck! You are supposed to practice on keeping the bludgers _away_ from everyone. You just broke my brother's nose, you asshole!" Gray looked abashed.

"I'm sorry! Oh my God, here let me take you to the infirmary, Al!" He grabbed for Albus but Lily pushed him away, her arm protectively around her brother's shoulder, who was still hunched over, hand cupped under his nose where a pool of blood now resided. Albus groaned.

"Finish practicing, you've caused enough trouble." Looking very much like a kicked puppy, Brian mumbled more apologies and returned to the field. Scorpius winced when he saw Albus.

"Ouch."

"Take him to the infirmary, Malfoy." Lily piped up, picking the first person she saw. Scorpius blinked.

"Why?"

"Do you need a reason?" Lily spat, gesturing at the blood covered Albus. "I'm going to end practice for the day and I need to round everything up. I'll be there shortly." With that, she entrusted her brother to Scorpius and started barking out orders. Scorpius sighed.

"Let's go." He reached for Albus's arm, but the boy yanked it away.

"Thop it, you athhole, I can walk." Albus bit out between the pain of his broken nose and all the blood running into his mouth. Potter spat. Scorpius grimaced. They walked in tense silence to the infirmary. The new school nurse, Chantilly Vale, was a demure young woman with hair as fine and as pink as cotton candy. It fluffed around her oval shaped face. She blinked alarmed light blue eyes at the sight of the boys.

"Ick. Broken nose?" She asked, wrinkling her little pert nose. Albus and Scorpius nodded.

"Come over here, then, we'll get it set and repaired." Albus sat on the edge of the bed the nurse indicated. Scorpius hung around by the side.

"You don' have to sthay here." Albus grumbled. He had taken his scarf, bunched it in his hand, and was now holding it to his face, head tilted back.. Scorpius shrugged. Madam Vale came over and set about mopping up the blood and stopping the flow. With another flick of her wand, Albus's crooked nose was set back into place with a _crack._ He groaned, and Scorpius's winced for his sake.

"Well, it's not a very serious break. It doesn't need much else. I'll give you something for the bruising and swelling. Just apply it tonight and it should look _much_ better tomorrow. The spell I used to realign it should speed up the recovery process. You'll have some bruising, looks like you got two black eyes." She took out a small bottle filled with cream colored ointment, and blotted some on Albus's nose and under his eyes. The cream seeped into his skin, and the blue-black bruising began to fade just a little. The swelling went down enormously. She filled a small plastic syringe with some and handed it to him.

"You shouldn't need more than that." Albus pocketed it with a mumbled thanks.

"Okay, boys, that's it. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to come find me." She ushered them out of the infirmary. Once in the hall, silence reigned. Albus shuffled his feet.

"Well, see you around, I guess. You didn't have to stick around, you know."

"Whatever." Neither moved. Albus leaned against the stone wall, and Scorpius watched him out of the corner of his eye, also leaning against the cold stone.

"Why did you tell Nate to back off the first time?" The question caught Scorpius off guard. He swallowed. He didn't really have an answer to that. He was surprised Potter was bringing it up at all. He thought he had escaped answering that.

"Does it matter?" He muttered, fiddling with his wand, causing harmless golden sparks to sputter to life at the end of it.

"Just wondering what you could have possibly gained from doing that." The statement gave way to Scorpius's bad mood.

"So I need an ulterior motive to do something nice?"

"_Nice?_ You were totally sticking your nose where it wasn't wanted."

"Oh, well, sorry for assuming that since you and Bitterbridge had gone up in flames before, that you wouldn't want him hovering around now." Albus looked startled.

"Before? How did you-?"

"Wasn't hard to figure out when Bitterbridge opened his mouth, you nitwit."

"Ugh, you're so irritating." Albus complained. Scorpius smirked.

"Whatever."

"Where would I be without your heckling? Hmm. My permanent record would be _spotless _if it wasn't for you_." _Scorpius snorted.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Hey, I'd never even had a detention before you decided to open that mouth."

"Yeah, well, we wouldn't have kept getting detentions if you would keep _your_ mouth shut." Scorpius hissed. Albus harrumphed.

"Why would you do it?" Albus asked again. Scorpius swallowed. _Why…?_ Scorpius didn't look up. He continued to fiddle with his wand and cast sparks. Annoyed, Albus grabbed it. Scorpius slid his gray eyes towards Albus's face. Potter was right in front of him now. He yanked his wand out of the other boy's grasp, taking it back with a glare.

"It doesn't matter." Scorpius grumbled.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Oh come off it, Potter, it's not that big of a deal! So I thought I was helping you out, it really doesn't mean anything-"

"Oh, good. Nice to know I'm nothing, you almost had me fooled for a second, Malfoy. Of course, that's how it is between us anyway, isn't it? On that note, it's not that hard to think that you would say something to Nate for your own reasons, excluding helping me out." Albus ground out, and that's when it happened. Scorpius looked at him, vexed. It was then that he realized that Potter's green eyes were boring into him. Potter was angry at _him_ for not seemingly not _caring? _Was he hearing this right? Since when did Potter ever feel affected enough by Scorpius to actually bitch about it to him? This was new. This was...

Different.

He felt heat course through his body. His stomach clenched, and his heart raced. It wasn't as if Albus hadn't been this close before, but something about this time was…_different_. He couldn't explain it, but it was hard to suppress it.

"You're something, and it's definitely not _nothing_." He said quietly, surprising himself. He swallowed, suddenly wishing he could take it back. _What had possessed him to say that?_ Albus blinked, taken aback. He was quiet for a moment, then he snorted.

"Whatever, Malfoy-" Then it happened. Scorpius acted before he thought. He was looking into the glittering emerald green eyes…

And it just happened. Albus opened his mouth to speak, but Scorpius stopped the other boy from saying too much else with his own mouth. He shivered at the contact. Albus's mouth was warm against his own. For a moment, Albus didn't respond, but then his lips parted slightly, and the kiss deepened.

It was too short. It was all over before Scorpius could process what had happened. He pulled away, looking into the green eyes before him.

"Scorpius-" But Scorpius didn't wait to hear the rest.

He bolted.

* * *

><p>Dumbstruck, Albus stayed rooted to the spot. <em>What had just happened? <em>He swallowed. His head felt fuzzy and light. His heart was racing. He took a shaky breath.

The kiss…

He licked his lips, closed his eyes, and banged the back of his head a couple times on the wall he was leaning against. _Great._

Albus used to think he _knew_ Scorpius Malfoy (to an extent) enough to gauge his reactions, or know what kind of prank the blond teen might pull next. Sure, Scorpius had gotten him the other day (there was a perfectly logical explanation for that mistake, but Albus was much too embarrassed to admit what that reason was), but that kiss? Albus had never seen that coming. Ever.

Scorpius Malfoy had succeeded in completely and utterly surprising _the shit_ out of Albus Potter.

Not that that was a bad thing...

* * *

><p>AN: Short chapter, I know. For a while I felt something was wrong with this chapter or something...if you have any thoughts, please tell me. Reviews are good. More to come, and it's gonna start getting messy after this.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sometimes we know we shouldn't...Which is exactly why we _do

_What had he been thinking? What the HELL had he been thinking?_ It was the only coherent thought Scorpius could process at the moment. By the time he arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait, he was gasping for air.

"Pi-pixie-"

"The password changed, dearie, try again." The Fat Lady said with a roll of her beady eyes. Scorpius ran a hand through his tousled blond air, swiftly running his tongue over dry lips.

_Fuck._ He didn't know the newest password. He hadn't read the bulletin. Damn. It. All.

"Just let me in." He huffed. The Fat Lady seemed to consider a moment.

"So tell me," She began, applying some rogue to her already pink cheeks. "Who did you choose? The lovely red-head, or that incredibly handsome boy?" Scorpius flushed.

"Let me in." He ordered.

"I must say I adore red-heads, and Lily definitely got the lion's share of the family genes, but I'd be a liar if I said that young Mr. Potter didn't make me feel like a school girl all over again!" She squealed. Scorpius took a deep breath.

"Let me in. _Please."_ He tried again. She sighed.

"Oh, oh, oh! Look sharp! Here comes the girl!" She flashed him a toothy grin, so delighted by her own gossip that her smile threatened to split her face. Swallowing, Scorpius turned, and inwardly groaned. Lily Potter was coming up the stairs. She paused upon seeing him, her glittering hazel eyes assessing him coldly for a moment.

"How's my brother?" She asked curtly. Scorpius's insides clenched, but outwardly he kept a cool demeanor.

"Fine." He answered shortly. Lily frowned.

"Where is he?" Scorpius raised a brow.

"Do I look like your brother's baby-sitter?" He asked. She scowled.

"Don't be an asshole." She hissed. Scorpius sighed. _Wonderful. _Soon, he'd have all the Potters breathing down his neck at this rate.

"You're angry with me."

"No. I'm delighted to see you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and she popped a hip, hands akimbo.

"I kissed you, and you didn't do anything about it." She accused after a moment of silence.

"I just…I'm not sure if it's the right time…" He fumbled for a decent explanation while trying not to look like an idiot or pass for an asshole. Dumping someone wasn't exactly his forte.

"It's someone else then?" She pressed, eyes narrowed. He didn't meet her gaze. _Someone else…?_

"N-no…" _No one. No one else…right?_

_"_You know what, forget it." She snapped, muttering the password in a low voice. Once again, Scorpius found himself locked out of the dormitory. The portrait swung closed the minute he turned on his heel. The Fat Lady smirked.

"Ooops." Scorpius was about ready to rip his hair out. He took a deep breath. He _so_ didn't need this.

"Oh my _god…_Can you _please_ open the door?_" _He tried, a little vainly, to keep the irritation out of his voice, but his words were sharp. She whipped out her fan and hid demurely behind the peacock feathers, batting her beady eyes.

"What's the password, dearie?" She asked with a giggle.

"_Open_ the door." She giggled like a school girl.

"Oh, you_'re adorable_ when you're angry!" She squealed, fanning herself. Scorpius entertained the thought of ripping the portrait.

"It's just so…oh! My goodness! I can hardly take the thought!" She all but swooned, giggling like a madwoman, her fan a green and blue blur.

"Please-"

"Oh, I must say, though, the image of you with beautiful Potter boy is simply to _die_ for-!"

"_Open the damn door!" _He snarled, uncomfortable and irritable. She paused, eyes wide. Her thin lips quivered.

"Well, you don't have to be so _nasty_." She whimpered. Scorpius sighed, running a hand through his hair in irritation.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

_"_Abyssinian shrivelfig." A voice said suddenly. Scorpius started. The Fat Lady blushed. Without a word, she swung open the portrait to reveal the tunnel in the stone walls. Scorpius heart raced, every nerve on edge. Quiet as a shadow, Albus Potter slipped past him. The boy paused at the entrance.

"You coming?" He asked lowly. Scorpius swallowed, and silently followed. The portrait swung closed, and for a brief moment, the boys were engulfed in shadows before Albus opened the door to the Common Room.

It seemed to be a popular spot for the afternoon. Many couples, groups of friends, and studying students were strewn about. In the couches, on the desks, gathered by the windows, on the carpets by the fire place. A low, gentle hum of voices washed over the boys as they stepped over the threshold and into the warm glow. A fire had been started, and the flames danced and cackled, emanating a delicious and soothing heat.

"Hey, Al, get your ass over here!" Before Scorpius could turn to even look at the dark haired teen beside him, Albus was gone. Potter didn't look back, or in Scorpius's direction at all for that matter. He watched as Albus joined a group playing wizard's chess by the large window. For a brief moment, he felt the loss of Albus by his side.

Oddly, it hurt. _Well, that was unexpected._

Wasn't this a good thing? Wasn't it a good thing that Albus was acting as if nothing had ever happened?

_He won't even look at me…_

Scorpius looked away, about ready to berate and laugh at himself.

_Way to go, Scor. Way to fucking go._

"Hey, Scor, you lost, or what?" He looked up at the group of boys waiting for him to join them. He shrugged, turned on his heel, and left, ignoring the calls and groans.

"Well, looks like angsty Scorpius is back." He heard Brian Gray announce mildly. Blocking out the snickers, he traveled up the stairs into the rooms, plopping down on his bed with a grunt and a scowl, glaring up at the ceiling.

_Asshole. He's gay. He's totally gay. He doesn't need to act like I've offended him! He's kissed a guy before. Ugh, he's so irritating!_

_….Maybe he's not attracted to me…?_

_Bullshit! What's not to like! _

_Damn. Shit-fuck-damn-arrrghhhh! Why did I kiss Potter? Why the FUCK did I kiss Potter?_

_Why do I feel like this? Why does it matter?_

Nope. No. Nuh-uh. No _way._ He wasn't hurt. He was _not_ upset by the lack of reaction. Even if he _had_ been the one to run away in the first place.

_Potter's such an asshole._

"Fuck!" He cursed. He knew there was a perfectly good reason he had kept _that_ hidden. He knew there was a reason he had never openly admitted it…even to himself.

Now look where spontaneity and sexual preference had taken him.

Screw this. He swallowed.

It was because, even though Potter had been an ass, always trying to prank him and declaring himself Scorpius's mortal enemy, he had still been the only one to acknowledge him when everything went to shit. Potter had been the only one to treat him like he wasn't someone to be pitied or feared. It was Potter, stupid freakin' Potter, who made him feel (even if it was for a semester) that things were normal. That _he_ was normal.

Albus had been there when no one else had…in his own stupid way. For that, Scorpius would always (secretly) be grateful.

"You gonna come with us, or not? We're all heading to the pitch. You up for some air?" A voice startled him by saying. Scorpius jerked back to reality. He blinked owlishly at the figure in the doorway.

"W-what?" Albus sauntered over to the bed.

"Come on, angsty boy, don't burn a hole into the ceiling." He said with a snicker. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up." He drawled, standing and heading for the door.

"Hey." Scorpius froze, reluctantly turning his head to look over at Potter. His teeth caught his bottom lip, worrying it for a moment.

"What?" He tensed when Albus stepped towards him.

_Close. Too close._

Potter was only a few inches away. Scorpius swallowed, daring to look into the depths of the emerald pools.

_So green…_

"What?" He whispered. For a moment, Albus almost seemed to reconsider what he was about to say. He sighed.

"Look, Scorpius, don't get me wrong-"

"Hey, hey! What are you guys _doing_ in there? You can kiss and make up later, let's _go_!" Hugo called, bursting through the door. Scorpius jumped, putting distance between himself and Albus.

"Aw, shut it, Hugo, we're coming!" The boys laughed and joked on their way to the pitch, broomsticks in tow. For the next hour and a half, Scorpius pushed his troubles to the back of his mind. They scrimmaged, pulled some daring aerial moves on their broomsticks they had been dying to try out. Cused the "stupid" teachers and the "assholes".

Nate Bitterbridge included, of course. All in all, it was a good time, until of course, Albus opened his mouth.

The sun was setting; a pinprick of fire stark against a darkening lavender sky, signaling the end of the day. Brian left the group after spotting his girlfriend of two years waiting for him by the pitch. He promptly ditched the group, looking like a happy sap as he literally walked off into the sunset, holding hands with one Avery Crenshaw. Hugo also left, muttering darkly about a paper that he had severely procrastinated on, and parted ways with his cousin and Malfoy in the corridors, looking forlorn as he headed towards the library.

Scorpius realized it was only Potter and himself, walking down the darkening halls, silent.

_Could this get any more awkward?_ He silently despaired. Quickly, he tried to think of a way to save himself this embarrassment, but before he could open his mouth, a certain recognizable Slytherin walked by, flanked by his posse.

Scorpius looked away from the venomous gaze of Dante Lovell, who was obviously not pleased to see his most recent ex (_seemingly_, as Dante was quick to jump conclusions, considering he was a jealous and possessive person) flaunting his next possible boy toy. Flaunting was an overstatement, but to Dante, it was all the same when he was still sore over being dumped. The boy's eyes narrowed when he noticed Scorpius and Albus walking side by side. Unfortunately, he succeeded in getting the wrong idea. Even more unfortunately, Lovell decided to head towards the duo. The low voices in the group quieted as Dante branched off, heading towards the teens.

"Hey Potter, Malfoy." He called out. Scorpius sighed. Albus frowned.

"Hey." Albus acknowledged casually. Dante nodded in his direction, but he turned his full attention on Scorpius. The blond decided he didn't much like the look the Slytherin was giving him. It was…_smug. _

"So, Malfoy, congratulations." Scorpius blinked, puzzled.

"For what, exactly?"

"Heard your dad got out of prison. Must be nice to have the family together again. How's Mommy dearest, by the way?" Dante went on. Scorpius tensed. He resisted the urge to punch Dante in the face.

"Oh you little-"

"Retract those kitty claws, Lovell, before you poke someone's eye out. C'mon Malfoy, don't hurt yourself." Albus growled with an annoyed roll of his eyes, tugging on Scorpius's sleeve. Dante sneered at this, but before he turned away he looked Scorpius right in the eye. He whispered lowly, so that only Scorpius was able to hear:

"Don't get too excited over my left overs, Malfoy." Scorpius flushed, uncomfortable and angry. He opened his mouth to retort, but Albus had clearly had enough of the little spectacle, and was pulling Scorpius away with some difficulty.

"Okay, okay, that's really enough excitement for one day, come _on_, Scorpius." He snapped, irritated.

"Right, I'll just leave you two _alone._" Dante's words were icy, and with that he left to rejoin his group of friends.

"Asshole." Scorpius muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists. For a while, neither spoke as they walked towards the main hall.

"So…so is the deal with your mom…is that really true?" Albus asked falteringly. Scorpius stared at him. Albus reddened.

"Trying to delve into my personal life, Potter?" He asked, an edge to his voice. Albus frowned.

"Just trying to understand."

"There's nothing to understand. So drop it." Scorpius snapped. Irritated by his companions obvious discomfort and anger, Albus threw him an annoyed look.

"Look, Scorpius-"

"Whatever happened to not crossing certain boundaries?" Scorpius interjected heatedly, not wanting to hear or talk about the subject. Albus flushed.

"Boundaries?" He asked, with a dry laugh. "Gonna play the boundaries card, after what happened outside the medical wing? Don't act like there's a line, because you just crossed it." His voice was low, humorless. Scorpius swallowed, looking away, stomach clenching, heart racing. A memory slashed through Scorpius's thoughts.

_Your death eater father._

"If there was ever a line that couldn't be crossed, you obliterated it six years ago when you called my father a death eater." He shot back. Albus blinked. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He frowned, obviously a little confused about the sudden change in direction.

"What does that have to do with _anything_-?"

"Screw this. I'm outta here." Scorpius grumbled, done with the conversation.

"Scorpius-"

"Leave it, Potter. We aren't friends anyway, remember?" Shoving

his hands in his pockets, he strode off, mind swirling with dark thoughts. Scorpius would admit it: he hadn't properly faced the fact that his father had returned home. In fact, he had been ignoring it, pushing it to the side.

Dante bringing it up had been infuriating, and a little painful. He was forced to accept it.

_Your death eater father. Your death eater father._

Funny. While Potter might have made him feel more normal at times, he was also responsible for following in his classmates' footsteps and ridiculing Scorpius about his family for the sake of humiliation.

It was no laughing matter. _Death Eaters_ were no fucking laughing matter. He remembered the way Albus had said it, and his gut churned. The shame, the anger, the humiliation about his father. The way it had effected his mother…

Sweet, gentle Astoria. One could only imagine what had been going through her head when she realized her husband was in league with the very people who not only tortured her family…

But with the very man who had raped her at seventeen. Yet here she was, so forgiving and accepting. Did she not _remember _what life had been like after Draco's sentencing? Did she not _remember_ the summers robbed from Scorpius's younger years, because she experienced a post-traumatic stress backlash from having to identify the man who had harmed her all those years ago in court? The man had refused any affiliation from the beginning. Yet, Draco, hoping to seize what little favor he could glean, offered the names of his affiliates. In order to properly identify the man (he hadn't been documented) proof was needed.

Astoria had identified him…for Draco. Draco. What a fucking joke. He didn't have to lie awake at night, listening to Astoria's sobs, to her night-terrors. He didn't have to bring her breakfast in bed because she was slowly slipping into a depression and wouldn't get out of bed. He wasn't the one who called St. Mungo's psychiatric ward looking for Astoria's therapist at one in the morning, crying, because his mother was locked away in her room and saying scary shit.

His mother. Deceptively placid as she might have been, her carefully constructed exterior had easily shattered with that court case. She was still in therapy.

Scorpius stopped walking. He didn't need to take out his frustrations on Albus. Not only did he bring it up because he was pissed off about his father, he was using it as a way to avoid discussing what had happened.

Was he really going to abolish what possibly could have been the beginnings of what could very well be _something_ between himself and the boy he had been hiding an attraction for, for the sake of pride? Cursing, he turned around.

Maybe Albus wouldn't be walking around there anymore, but maybe…maybe Scorpius could catch up to him again.

_Hey, look, I'm sorry…maybe we could…you know…talk?_

No. That wouldn't do.

_Hey, Albus. About what happened earlier…_

Nah.

_Stay out of my business, you ass._

Too upfront.

_That kiss…it wasn't a mistake, and neither is this…*insert kiss #2 here*_

Too fast.

_I didn't mean to take out my frustrations on you. Look, about that kiss…I meant it. _

That could work.

_I didn't mean to snap. I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier. You see…_

"I love you." Scorpius stopped. He looked up, about to round the corner, only to see the cloaked back of Nate Bitterbridge, conveniently blocking Albus from view.

"Even after all this time, I still do. I'll…I'll get rid of her. For you."

"Don't sweet talk me, you asshole."

"Just forgive me…please?" Nate's head bent forward, and met no resistance. Somewhere, deep inside, Scorpius felt an odd pain. Blinking, he quickly turned, leaving the scene.

_You see…_

_I lied when I said I hated you. I lied._

Not that Potter would ever hear that, anyway. Maybe...maybe Potter couldn't see him in that sort of light.

* * *

><p>"Get the <em>fuck<em> off me, Bitterbridge!" Albus shoved at the body before him. Nate's eyes flashed.

"Albus-"

"We had something real once, but now…it's pushing it." He pushed past the solemn student teacher.

"You know, we're deluding ourselves." He said finally. Nate grimaced.

"For a while, a _long_ while, I thought I would never find a connection like the one I had with you. It's why, when you showed up again, I let things happen between us. I _remembered_ how good it was, and I wanted it to happen again. I really did. But…but it's not what it used to be, Nate. It's not and it's not going to be. We just have to get used to it." Nate said nothing as Albus walked away.

He rounded the corner, walking briskly, searching for the pissy blond. _Stupid Scorpius, getting all angsty._ Albus chuckled. He thought of the kiss, and he could feel the blood rushing to his face.

If Scorpius was willing…

Albus was willing. He was careful to not indulge in the thought for the longest time. Scorpius appeared, well, straight as an arrow, and he _was_ a bit of a player. Albus had decided not to waste his time on fantasies.

After all, why fantasize when you can have something real?

Now, however…

Now was different. Sure, Scorpius could be an ass, but there was _something_ there. Something undeniable.

No relationship in Albus's life had ever been as constant as his and Scorpius's. He grinned. Maybe there was a reason for that.

He could see the stairs leading to the dormitory. He ran up the steps two at a time. That was it. He was going to talk to Scorpius about it. Maybe he had overstepped a line Scorpius wasn't ready to cross yet with him, but eventually, it would get there.

The Fat Lady looked at him strangely when he uttered the password, pouting a little.

"If it's any consolation, dearie, _I_ thought you two would have been excellent together." She said with a wistful sigh. Albus frowned.

"Er..okay?" Confused, he walked through the tunnel. When he stepped into the common room, he felt as though something was off, but he couldn't say what. Hugo grunted when he saw his cousin, lounging on the couch.

"Hey."

"Hey, have you seen Scor-"

"_Ow, ow! _Come on, kids, get a room!" Brian Gray taunted. Albus turned to see which couple was unfortunate enough to attract Brian's attention.

The grin froze on his face.

Lily, his sister Lily, was kissing Scorpius by the window.

_Kissing._

He blinked, throat running dry.

Those lips that had, for a brief moment, captured his own, appeared to be more interested in capturing a mouth that certainly wasn't his.

Maybe there was a reason for that.

He decided he had been stupid for thinking otherwise.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can"_

_-From _At First Sight _by Nicholas Sparks_

Scorpius decided he had been stupid for thinking there might have been a mutual attraction with Potter. He concentrated on his feet, counting each step. So much for spontaneity.

It seemed obvious.

Albus was getting back together with Nate, and Scorpius was left to despair in utter humiliation for acting radically. He hadn't needed to stay and watch to know what was going to happen.

Potter just wasn't into him that way.

Ouch.

Scorpius was angry, embarrassed, and feeling like he needed to sweep everything that had recently happened under a rug where he couldn't think of it. Potter had made him look _stupid-_

No, maybe not Potter. Scorpiushad made _himself _look stupid. He made his way up the stairs, when he noticed who was sitting at the top, crying.

Lily Potter.

Well, that was something you didn't see every day. Not from the girl with the nerves of steel. He kept his eyes downcast, but that didn't make him invisible. He looked up, and found she was already staring at him with red-rimmned eyes.

"What?" she snapped. Scorpius shrugged.

"Nothing." He started to make his way past her, ignoring how red she flushed, and it wasn't an embarrassed flush. It was her signature angry look that turned her ears a bright red.

"You are _such_ a fucking jackass," Lily said. Scorpius paused, mentally sighing. The girl was such a mind-fuck! Here she was, snapping at him and obviously not wanting him to look at her, then cussing at him for saying he _wasn't _looking at her.

What was the correct answer here? Their usual, flirty banter? _Yes, I was looking at you. My, those tears bring out your eyes!_

Now that was just sarcastic. Whatever.

"Fine, I'm a jackass, you win." He shook his head, sighing. He _really _ wasn't up for this right now-

"Sorry," Lily said, grudgingly, swiping at her eyes. Scorpius frowned.

"So what's wrong with you?" He plopped down on a step. Lily laughed.

"You actually interested or are you just trying to get your mind off your own shit?"

"A little of both." Scorpius admitted. It was true. There was a short silence.

"You ever been dumped?" Lily asked. Scorpius snorted. Who hadn't?

"Yeah."

"Well I haven't." She glowered, picking at a hang nail. Scorpius didn't answer right away.

"Don't let him get to you," he said, thinking of Albus.

"Hard not to, when I feel like an idiot for thinking something could have happened between us." Lily grimaced.

"I feel so fucking _stupid."_

"I feel ya," Scorpius sighed.

They lapsed into silence again, listening to the murmurs of the portraits, and watching the students below trickle by.

"So you got over me pretty fast then," Scorpius joked. Lily rolled her eyes, and smacked his shoulder playfully.

"So what happened?"

"Well, we kissed, we flirted, and today when I asked him what we were to each other, he laughed it off." Lily's face darkened. Scorpius winced.

"Well, he isn't worth your time then."

"Like I wasn't worth yours?" It was a bitter, angry question. Scorpius could feel the burn of her anger in each word. He swallowed, uneasy.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"Don't be such a drama queen," he said. Lily stared at him, and Scorpius could feel the tension between them, crackling like electricity. It wasn't pleasant.

This had been a game between them for quite some time. Laughing, teasing, flirting. He was aware of her attraction to him, and once, he had entertained the idea of kissing her, but not now.

She was sick of the game, had been for a while, and she wanted more.

The door to the common room opened, as a group of third years trickled out, quietly conversing. Lily took this opportunity to rise and slip away. Scorpius thought of continuing to sit on the steps and sulk, but he noticed the third year girls casting glances his way, so he followed Lily.

He found Hugo and Brian studying by the window, but before he could wander over, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Scorpius turned to see a flash of red hair, and suddenly Lily was kissing him.

"_Ow! Ow!_ Come on kids, get a room!" Brian taunted. Scorpius gently broke the kiss a moment later, his breath mingling with Lily's. She caught his silver gaze defiantly.

"Tell me I'm not worth your time." With that, she sauntered away, throwing a fiery glance over her shoulder.

"You and Lily Potter? Ohhhhh _man! _You really _are _a master!_" _Brian laughed, making a spectacle of it, which Scorpius did not appreciate.

"Shove it, Brian," Hugo remarked, when Scorpius shot Brian a venomous look. The other boy shrugged.

"Relax, don't get your panties in a bunch," Brian said, plopping back down on the couch and looking dejected.

Typical Brian.

Scorpius turned to leave, brood in his room for a while, when he noticed Albus going up the steps. His stomach did an odd little flip.

Was it possible Albus had seen the kiss?

What did it matter if he did? Albus obviously didn't harbor any interest, Scorpius reminded himself. He quietly went up the stairs, to the dormitory, finding it deserted save for Albus, who watched Scorpius with narrowed green eyes as he changed out of his school robes for something more casual.

"I meant it when I said I'd kick your ass if you did anything to my sister." Albus slipped a shirt over his head. Scorpius snorted.

"I'd like to see you try," he shot back, heart skittering in his chest. So Albus had seen? Albus glowered at him.

"Off to see Bitterbridge?" Scorpius couldn't resist, still angry and humiliated.

Albus paused to say "Fuck you" before he left, knocking Scorpius's shoulder in the process, leaving the blond alone in the dormitory, seething.

* * *

><p>For a little while, Scorpius paced the floor. He tried to do his homework, he tried to concentrate on <em>anything<em>, but it found it nearly impossible. It was then he remembered he still had to write his mother her weekly letter. He reread Astoria's previous letter and scribbled for fifteen minutes, before folding the letter and heading to the owlery.

His mood darkened. It wasn't writing to his mother that was the problem; it was his father.

_He wants to talk to you, Scorpius. Give him a chance. You'll see, he's changed._

Scorpius doubted that. His mother, while he loved her, was weak when it came to Draco. He couldn't expect her to readily understand. He looked at the piece of folded parchment. Inside, his words were cold and flat; he had avoided the subject of Draco entirely. He had inquired about her health, about her day, telling her a quick, humorous story concerning a herbology class and a silly incident.

His mood had been sour enough that he considered not writing, but she would only grow upset. In all his seven years at Hogwarts, he never missed writing her back. Sometimes he wrote her twice a week. She used to cling to his letters like a life line when he was at school, and so the letters became habit.

"You know what to do." He said softly, handing the owl the letter. The bird nipped his finger affectionately as it took the letter in its beak, as if sensing Scorpius's mood. He watched Amadeus fly off, taking the sky, until the owl was nothing but a gray smudge. Scorpius leaned against the wall. He was…upset. He would have to go home soon, and he would have to see Draco. There was no escaping it.

A part of him wanted to see his father, wanted desperately to be reassured that the man _loved_ him and his mother. The other part was bitter and angry. If Draco had loved them so much, he wouldn't have endangered himself and his family by joining that fucking group-

"Stalking me, Malfoy?" The voice caught him off guard. Scorpius started, a little horrified to see Albus a few feet away, folding a letter to a stupidly small size.

"Or maybe it's you who's following me?" Scorpius snapped. Albus snickered.

"I hate to disappoint you, Malfoy, but I'm not one of your stalker fangirls." A screech owl flew to Albus, and he allowed the bird to take his letter. The smaller owl shot for the sky, quickly flying out of the tower. Scorpius looked away, deciding to pretend Potter wasn't there.

Great. Now not only was his moment of sulking ruined, now he would have to be reminded constantly of...well..._that._

_That_ consisted of buried emotions, hidden attractions, dejection, and embarrassing recollections of vividly arousing dreams. Oh yes, Scorpius was just _thrilled_ to see Albus. Perfect. _Fucking Potter. _Well, he supposed he could go for some heated words. He could let off some steam.

"What are you sulking about, anyway?" Potter shot at him. A hollow smirk upturned the corners of Scorpius's mouth.

"You just broke your nose and got a failing grade. Do you _really_ want to make your day worse by provoking me?" Scorpius grinned. Albus snorted.

"Like you have any effect on me," the other boy muttered, though he didn't look Scorpius in the eye.-

"Thought you had a date with _Bitterbridge._ Better hurry if you don't want your grade to suffer," Scorpius said acidly. For a heartbeat, there was silence, before Albus finally spoke.

"What the _hell _is your problem? Because I'm really fucking confused-"

"_You're_ confused?" Scorpius broke in, vexed. "Yeah, okay."

"You were just kissing my sister-"

"And _you_ were getting back together with Bitterbridge!" Scorpius cried. Albus blinked.

"_What-?"_

"Don't act all innocent. I saw you two. Don't have to tell me what was going on-"

"Oh my fucking _God, _you're worse than a girl-" Albus groaned. Scorpius glared, angry and unsure.

"So you thought I was getting back together with Nate, I wasn't by the way, so you go and _kiss _my sister in retaliation?" Albus exploded. Scorpius rolled his eyes, abashed.

"It wasn't like that," he admitted lowly, scratching the back of his neck. Albus stared at him.

"Whatever," Albus said, quietly, so that Scorpius had to strain to hear. Potter looked _vulnerable _or something. He was fidgeting and looking at his feet, his hand stuffed in his pockets. He turned to leave, and Scorpius could hear his heart in his ears as he watched Albus walk away.

"Potter," he said suddenly. Albus paused, looking back. Scorpius's mouth ran dry. He considered keeping it to himself. Not saying anything, but against his better judgment, he spoke.

"Me and Lily...wasn't what it looked like. What happened earlier...I meant it." It sounded a little lame once he said it out loud, and he felt the blood rush to his face. Suddenly, he wished he could take it back. He'd just revealed something that made him vulnerable to Potter _because _of Potter.

He never thought he'd actually see this day. Albus hovered by the door.

"Alright," he said, not moving. Scorpius waited, heart in his throat, hating how embarrassed and left-out-in-the-open he felt. It was disconcerting, waiting to hear Albus say something else. Or was Potter simply going to leave without another word.

"I'm going to the library to study for the Potion's test before break tonight. I'll be there at eight, in the back." Albus was quiet, staring out the door, before flitting his green gaze to Albus. Scorpius swallowed.

"Yeah, okay." It was all he could say. Albus smiled, just a little, and left.

* * *

><p>AN:

I've returned (with updates to three fics in tow). Now that I'm on , you can start referring to my profile for updates on story progress once again and for news concerning rewrites. Sorry it's been so long for all these fics. Hope you enjoyed the update, and yes, all of these are meant to be continued and finished. If you see any glaring errors, let me know.


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